


We're Family, Aren't We?

by just_sav



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Character Death, DadSchlatt, Death, Family Angst, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Floris | Fundy Deserves Better, Floris | Fundy Has Daddy Issues, Fluff and Angst, Fox Hybrid Floris | Fundy, Ghost TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ghost Wilbur Soot, Ghostbur, Goat Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Good Friend Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Good Older Sibling Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Memory Loss, Minecraft, Older Sibling Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Resurrected Wilbur Soot, Resurrection, Scared TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Schlatt is Tubbos dad, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, They all have daddy issues, Toby Smith | Tubbo Has Horns, Toby Smith | Tubbo Thinks TommyInnit is Dead, Toby Smith | Tubbo in a Box, Toby Smith | Tubbo is Not Okay, TommyInnit Being a Little Shit (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Has PTSD (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF), Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot Has a Bad Time, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Siblings, Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot is Floris | Fundy's Parent, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), You Signed Up For This, ghostinnit, glatt, ranboo was adopted, they are best friends your honor, they are family your honor, tubbo likes bees, tubbo was adopted, wilbr soot has daddy issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28926246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_sav/pseuds/just_sav
Summary: Things haven't gone the best for the Sleepy Bois Inc family: Philza has had to kill his ex-dictator son and resurrect him, another is a wanted anarchist who has destroyed a country twice, and now his youngest who had been cast in exile before betraying his family has now been killed in a supposed accident. Wilbur has to deal with being alive again, paying the consequences for his actions, and doing what it takes to be a better father and brother. Techno has to learn to trust others again and decide whether or not blood is thicker than water, and ask himself  if certain people are worth giving second chances to. Fundy has to come to terms with his own selfish nature which had him pushing away his loved ones and learn that family is about equally giving and taking. Tommy has to learn that he can't take his loved ones for granted and learn to value family and friends over a musical obsession.When things make a turn for the worst, the SBI family must come to terms with what matters most in this world: their family. They must put aside their grievances and grudges in order to not lose everything, due to themselves and/or outside forces.
Comments: 67
Kudos: 338





	1. Reminiscence and Rectification

**Author's Note:**

> According to AO3 statistics, only a small portion of readers are leaving a Kudos and Comment. It truly means the world to me if you could and it’s completely free! Plus you can always un-kudos and delete your comment later, though I don’t know why you’d want to. Anyways, thank you, and enjoy the fanfic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghostbur resurrection go BRR

January 16th, XXXX

The house was warm and quiet despite the snow falling outside, the only sounds coming from the gentle snow flurries and the crackling of the fireplace inside. 

Ghostbur never liked the snow, he never liked the rain either- both always burned his grey skin, causing him to begin to melt. He was thankful to be inside the warm cottage that he used to call home, but he knew this afternoon his father, son, and friends would make the trek back to the crumbling remains of L’Manberg. 

Today was the day Ghostbur would die, and Wilbur would return to the world. Or so he hoped.

They had tried resurrection twice before, both times failing and the last leaving Wilbur with Schlatt’s spirit unhappily stuck within Ghostbur’s body. At first Schlatt had been quite intrusive, cutting Ghostbur off whilst speaking or moving his body in weird ways. After the 3rd day, even phantom ram horns had appeared on ghostbur’s body, looking quite out of place as they found themselves paired with Ghostbur’s fox-like eyes and slightly pointed ears, ears that Wilbur when alive had always tried to keep hidden with a beanie. 

But for the past few days, Schlatt had remained silent, seemingly bored of the world of the living. Ghostbur enjoyed the quiet of his own mind once again. 

Ghostbur pulled his attention away from the window and outside world, sauntering over to the worn-down sofa and grabbing the photo album off the coffee table after sitting down. For the past two days, Ghostbur had sat here with Philza, listening feverishly as his father retold each and every story behind the photographs. Ghostbur wanted to memorize the stories in case his memories as Alivebur were foggy.

Philza walked into the room, a cuppa in hand, and smiled at his spectral son, sitting next to him. 

“Want me to go over them again?” Philza asked, his voice cheerful yet tinged with an ever present sadness. 

Phil had always felt guilty whenever he interacted with Ghostbur. Whether it be the lack of memories his dead son had, the naivety his memory loss gave him, or the blood stained slash on his son’s yellow jumper which acted as a constant reminder that he was the one to take his son’s life- Philza had always felt guilty for being the one who took his Wilbur from the world. 

Ghostbur nodded quickly, opening the photo album and tracing his fingers lightly over the first few photos. He recognised his father, next to him a smiling woman with dark brown hair, and in their arms two infants, Wilbur and Techno. 

Ghostbur always found himself chuckling lightly when he looked at their baby photos, noting how similar the two looked as babies and young children. The twins, Techno and Wilbur, had looked strikingly similar in their youth, often only told apart by their differing personalities and Techno’s glasses. The two had only begun to look different as they entered their adolescence: Techno working hard to follow in their father’s footsteps and dyeing his hair pink in order to stand out amongst a crowd, whilst Wilbur chose to hide his most outstanding features beneath a beanie and focused on music rather than fighting. The largest difference between the two brothers, many argued, was their feelings towards governing powers: Wilbur having created a country , Techno believing fully in anarchy. 

Phil and his wife had adopted the twins just days after they were born. Phil had told Ghostbur that he and Techno looked so similar as infants, he worried he would confuse the two. Ghostbur giggled softly at the possibility that he was originally named Techno, yet Philza had confused them and he eventually got stuck with the name Wilbur. 

As Ghostbur flipped through the photo album, Ranboo, the enderman-hybrid Philza had seemingly also adopted, sat next to Ghostbur. Ghostbur had grown fond of his new younger, yet remarkably taller, brother. He scooted the photo album till it was halfway on Ranboo’s lap and smiled at the younger boy. 

“Soon, there will be photos of you in here, Ranboo. We will need a family photo once I’m alive again. We can get Fundy, Tommy, and Techno in it too. We can all be a family.”

Ranboo smiled, unsure of Ghostbur's words but nonetheless hopeful he would finally have a family, a place to belong. 

Ghostbur turned the page again and chuckled to himself seeing the photo taped to it. 

“Now I still remember that day as if it was yesterday-“ Phil sighed contently, thinking back to happier and simpler times. 

The photo was of Wilbur and Techno looking curiously at a blonde baby with small, downy wings stretched out as the infant attempted to grab at Techno’s braid. 

“Phil, will you tell me the story again?”

“Sure, mate” Phil smiled softly at Ghostbur, recounting the fond memory. “Well, where to begin? I think since you and Techno were about 10, you both started asking for a sibling. Me and your mum didn’t know why, since you two had each other, but Techno said he wanted another minion and you said you wanted a band mate.” Ghostbur giggled at how it seemed neither him nor Techno really changed. 

Philza continued, “so, your mum and I tried to look into adoption again. We didn’t know how you two would react if me and your mum had a kid that was biologically ours. The last thing we wanted to do was make you two feel like you were less loved. It was to our surprise, though, when we didn’t get much of a choice in the matter: there were no more children left to adopt in our small village and the cleric has told us we couldn’t conceive. But then, as if DreamXD blessed us, your baby brother Tomothy, Tommy, was born in April just after you both turned 12. You were both so happy to have a baby brother. I remember you promised us you would protect him always.”

Philza’s expression dimmed a little, “then your mum died when you were 14...it was really just us boys after that. We all had to help make sure Tommy was safe, happy and healthy. Then, a year later, you became a father to Fundy, Ghostbur. You were so young, far too young to be a father- let alone a single father. By the time Fundy was born, Tommy was only 3, and we all had to band together in order to raise Tommy and Fundy.”

Ghostbur nodded understandingly, “we are quite the mess of a family aren’t we?”

Philza chuckled “that’s an understatement my son.”

Ghostbur smiled happily, thinking of his younger brother. “Hmm, Phil, will Tommy be at the resurrection today?”

Phil looked to Ranboo, who had been periodically glancing at the clock, waiting for when he believed would be the best time to leave in order to get Tubbo and Tommy. The two were supposed to be testing some secret, new weapon with Jack Manifold, one which Tubbo told him would give them the advantage when it came to defeating Dream. Ranboo knew nothing about what the weapon was supposed to do, the only information he had was that there were 3 of these weapons, and Tubbo had referred to them as “Project Dreamcatcher”.

Ranboo had notified Phil and Techno of this project as soon as he heard about it, just in case the activities in Snowchester would threaten the Antarctic Empire. Neither seemed concerned for their own safety as the target was most certainly Dream, but Phil silently prayed the weapons would work in his sons’ favor. 

Philza couldn’t lose another son. 

Ranboo nodded slightly at Phil and then smiled at Ghostbur. “I’m leaving now to get them from Snowchester. Tommy wants to be there to see his big brother again, remember? He said he wants to see Wilbur again, said it would be poggers. And Tubbo wants to see you, well, alive you again too. I promise they will both be there.”

Ghostbur nodded softly, thinking of his brother and his short friend with the ram-like horns that so closely resembled Schlatt’s. 

“That’s good to hear,” Ghostbur commented. “I’d like them both there too. Tubbo is like a little brother to me, always has been. I mean, he lived with us for nearly 10 years, ever since we found him in that box, that’s what you said right Phil?”

Phil nodded, “that’s right son. We found Tubbo in a box on the side of the road. The poor lad told us his dad left him there with strict instructions to watch the bees. We took Tub in after that, and he’s been like another son since then. He has been a good balance for Tommy.” 

Ranboo chuckled, thinking of his chaotic friends and wondering how it was possible that Tubbo was once calm enough to balance out Tommy’s rash behavior. Ranboo stood up from the couch, putting on a helmet to make sure the snow wouldn’t cause him to itch too terribly as he traveled to Snowchester. Ranboo, much like Ghostbur, was not a big fan of rain or snow. 

Ranboo laughed softly under his breath, looking to his ‘adopted’ dad. “Do you just take in any orphan that happens to wander into your life, Philza?”

Phil let out a hearty laugh, nodding, “seems that way, innit? What can I say? I love my chaotic family. My what? 5 sons now? I wouldn’t have it any other way if I’m being honest.”

Phil’s laughter seized when he heard a quiet scoff from the staircase. Techno had come down from his room, his long pink hair had yet to be braided, and stopped to look at this rag-tag group he called family. 

“5? Really Phil? You still count Casper the friendly ghost and the government-loving traitors?” 

Finding this his cue to leave and gather Tubbo and Tommy, Ranboo exited the cottage and made the long trip to Snowchester.

Phil sighed at Techno’s bitterness. Techno had arguably taken Wilbur’s death the hardest, even if he never showed it. To him, it felt like half of him had died along with his twin. And Ghostbur? Well, to Techno, Ghostbur was nothing but a cheap joke of his twin. A fake that had no right to Wilbur’s memories or name. 

Tommy and Tubbo left equally bitter tastes in Techno’s mouth, Tommy more so than Tubbo. Techno was never very close with Tubbo, as Tubbo had only been with them for about 10ish years and was far more clingy to Tommy. 

But Tommy, Tommy hurt Techno the worst. Ever since Tommy was born, he had always held a certain fondness and protectiveness over him. He had been the one to name Tommy, choosing the all too stupid full name of Tomothy. Whenever little Tommy had a nightmare, Techno was first to comfort him. It had always been that way, Techno overly protective of Tommy, Tommy always reaching to Techno when in need of comfort, whether it be from a nightmare or Wilbur’s teasing. And as they grew, when Tommy needed Techno after being exiled twice, Techno always tried to comfort and welcome his younger brother home with open arms. Yet both times, Tommy had betrayed him. Both times Tommy seemed to ignore what family meant. So now, Techno refused to acknowledge Tommy as a brother, even if that left him feeling empty inside.

Techno was brought back to reality when Phil spoke again. 

“Yes. Even Ghostbur, Tommy and Tubbo. I’m not happy with Tommy and Tubbo either. They both supported the government that killed Wilbur and they betrayed you and me both. But they’re still my sons, still your brothers, and I will love them always. After today, Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo will be coming back home with us. And I hope we can be a family again-“

“Tch.” Techno sneered. “Family? Right. You know we can’t be family Philza. The voices. They won’t let me be your family.”

“I know Techno. I have my own voices, so does Ranboo and Ghostbur. But you’re stronger than them. We were all a family, even when your voices were at their worst. We can be a family again. You don’t have to forgive Tommy, but try not to hate your younger brother, you may not believe it but he still needs you. “ 

“I’ll hate who I choose. I’ll hate the government, and I’ll hate the boy who forgot I was a person and treated me as nothing but a weapon. Who used me as a weapon and betrayed me, not once, but twice after I did everything to protect him.” Techno bared his small tusks and flattened his ears, as if to prove his point before stalking back upstairs. 

Techno would not come to the resurrection.

Ghostbur trembled slightly at the argument, fumbling in his pockets until his hands were coated with blue dye, blue dyed tears stained his grey cheeks. 

Philza sighed, upset at his eldest’s outburst, but turning his attention to the anxious ghost in front of him. “Shh, shh it’s okay, focus on your blue. It’s okay. Techno didn’t mean what he said, he just really can’t wait for Wilbur to come back.”

Ghostbur nodded, gently laying a hand on Phil’s in order to give Phil some blue too. “Then I want to be alive as soon as possible. Being, well, me, hurts too many people. They need Alivebur again. “

Phil nodded slowly, helping Ghostbur to his feet as they both stood up from their place on the sofa. “Alright. Let’s go then. We are going to meet Fundy and Eret at the ritual site. Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo should be meeting us there soon after we arrive. “ 

Ghostbur smiled at the mention of his son, friend, and brothers. His soft smile growing as Philza gave him an Antarctic Empire cloak so as to not melt in the snow, and as he felt his father’s soft feathered wing wrap around him as an extra bit of protection. 

The two walked, then rowed their boat, back to the land of the Dream SMP, Ghostbur occasionally breaking the silence to ask questions. 

“Are you sure Fundy will be happy Alivebur is back? Eret told me I was mean to him and ignored him when I was alive. Was I a bad father?” 

Phil looked out to sea as he answered, choosing to avoid eye contact. “I think you were a good father given your circumstances. You were young, you had just started a country, you were being attacked constantly, all while trying to raise your son alone in this dangerous world. You protected him, loved him, taught him guitar, taught him to sing, and taught him to do what he believed was right. Sure you could have been there more for him, but you had a country to run, and I think back then he didn’t understand that but now he does. He really does love you, and he really wants his father back. I think when you’re alive again, things between you and Fundy will get better.”

“I hope so...I want to be a good father for him and make-up for the times I could have been better. “

Phil nods slowly, “there are times when any father wishes they could go back and fix their wrongdoings, but they come to realize they can’t change the past, and must move on in hopes of a better future for their children.”

Ghostbur chuckles, “you sound like you speak from experience, which is silly. I only ever remember you being a really good dad for me, Techno and Tommy.”

Phil smiles slightly, still avoiding his ghost son’s pure white eyes, “I forget you only remember the good memories...I wonder how that will change when Ghostbur has gone and Wilbur is back.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Nothing, nothing. You’re right, it was silly of me to say. Only fond memories.” Phil smiles at his son.

Ghostbur nods, watching the blue disappear from his skin as he smiles at Phil. 

“Right. Only happy memories.”

***

Another 30 minutes passed before the pair had climbed through what remained of L’Manberg, Ghostbur feeling a pang of sorrow as he stared at the ruins of his former home, the home his alive-self had fought tirelessly to gain its independence. Now it lay an abandoned waste-land, nothing but rubble all the way down to Bedrock. 

Ghostbur took a shaky breath as he walked the familiar path, now far more perilous to climb. After a few minutes, both Philza and Ghostbur had made it into the remains of Wilbur’s button room, which the group had turned into a shrine in order to resurrect Wilbur.

Waiting for them at the top was Eret, who was feverishly reading and rereading the necromancy book he had so kindly got off Dream. Eret mumbled to himself, “this is our last chance...we can’t get it wrong again. We don’t know what would happen.”

Fundy, who was standing beside Eret, placed his had on Eret’s back- grounding the anxious King. “It will work Eret. We have the totems, we have Sally, we have Friend, we have some blue, we have the L’Manberg flag, we have the TNT and brewing stands. It will work this time.”

Fundy turned as he heard some of the stones kicked around as his father and grandfather walked over, the fox-hybrid’s eyes widening a little from excitement when he saw them. “Ghostbur! Grandpa! You brought the Totem of Undying, right?”

Philza flinched slightly at the title. It had been weeks since Fundy had called him that. Weeks since Phil had told his grandson that he was dead to him- it was still something Philza regretted. Thankfully it seemed that Fundy was choosing to ignore that conversation, at least for now. 

Phil nodded slightly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the gold and emerald totem, handing it to Eret. Eret nodded and inspected it before handing it to Ghostbur to hold. He placed his hand on Ghostbur’s shoulder in order to catch the spirit’s eyes.

“You must hold this the entire time, through the speeches and then when Philza stabs you. You must not drop it, do you hear? This only works once and we can’t afford another failure, for your sake. God knows we don’t want to risk, say, Mexican Dream, also ending up trapped inside you.

Ghostbur grimaced, not wanting another voice to plague his mind. As if on cue, Glatt decided to show his ram-head. “CAN WE GET THIS FUCKING SHOW ON THE ROAD?! I’M SICK OF HANGING OUT WITH YOU LOSERS! I WANT MY WHISKEY AND PROTEIN POWDER AND WOMEN! I DO NOT WANT TO KEEP HEARING YOUR CONSTANT BITCHING! GLATT!”

Everyone remained silent from utter shock as Glatt decided to speak up for the first time in days, Ghostbur rubbing his temples as he groaned. “Wh-what happened?”

Philza, Fundy and Eret all looked to one another, sharing a silent conversation before the three nodded. Eret looked to Ghostbur, “there’s not much time, we need to get started on the ritual now before Glatt decides to interrupt anymore. I don’t know how it would affect the ritual of Glatt decided to invade your mind halfway through.”

Ghostbur shook his head, gesturing around them, “but Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo aren’t here. I want them here. I need them her-“ 

Eret cut Ghostbut off, “there’s no time. If Ranboo didn’t have any issues then he should be arriving with your brother and Tubbo shortly. If this works- when this works and you wake up, Tommy and Tubbo and Ranboo will be here. You’ll wake up and see them. Do you understand me? We have to do this now, Ghostbur.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Ghostbut finally conceded, nodding his head slowly. “Alright...let’s start then.” Fundy and Eret both nodded, the pair moving back a few paces to allow Ghostbur and Philza to take their places. 

It was time for the reenactment to begin.

Ghostbur took a deep breath, feeling the vivid memories that lead up to his death fill his mind. The ghost walked up and placed his hand on the wall.  
“The thing that I built this nation for doesn’t exist anymore! The-The thing I worked towards, doesn’t exist anymore! It’s over.” Ghostbur shouted, falling eerily into the role and sounding scarily like the alive Wilbur. His pale grey hand stroked the fake button they had placed on the Lapis Wall, ready to press it.

“What are you doing?” Philza asked, glaring at his ghostly son, uncharacteristically falling back into the role with ease.

Ghostbur’s eyes widened, turning to face his father, “Phil?”

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Ghostbur defended, waving his hand off as if it were nothing. “We just-we just made Tubbo president. We, we um, we elected Tubbo president and we won! We won the war, Schlatt’s gone, Schlatt’s gone Phil, so um.”

“Uh huh, uh huh,” Phil humoured his son, glancing at the TNT that had been placed on the shrine, not believing his son's words. 

“So it’s, um, so it’s, it’s good,” Ghostbur lied.

“So, you are, where exactly now?” Philza questioned, remembering how Wilbur had lied to him about where he was originally.

Ghostbur’s hands trembled, “Phil.”

“Mhm.” 

“It’s-” Ghostbur started as Philza cut him off.

“In L’Manberg, you said,” Phil stated, his voice stern and unwavering.

“Okay,” Ghostbur gulped, “I will admit...Do you know what this button is?” Ghostbur asked, gesturing to the button on the wall, avoiding Phil’s gaze.

“Uh huh, I do.”

A beat.

“Have you heard the song on the walls before? Have you heard the song” Ghostbur questioned, gesturing to what would have been the 3 other walls that had enclosed them before. The three other walls that used to hold the scribbled lyrics of the L’Manberg anthem. The three walls that encompassed the thoughts of a mad man.

“I was just saying, I made this big point and it, it was poignant, and it was that, it’s um, th-there was a special place where men could go, but th-that, it's not there anymore, y’know? It’s not…” Ghostbur trailed off.

Philza sighed, smiling comfortingly. “It is there.”

Ghostbur mumbled, “I’ve noticed…”

“You’ve just, you’ve just won it back, Wil,” Phil said, attempting to reason with his son.

This, like Wibur before, made Ghostbur snap. He grabbed his head, tugging at his hair, and yelled, “PHIL! I'M ALWAYS SO CLOSE TO PRESSING THIS BUTTON , PHIL! I HAVE BEEN- I HAVE BEEN HERE!” Ghostbur’s voice strained, gesturing to button and then clenching his fist. “I’VE BEEN HERE 7 OR 8 TIMES, I’VE BEEN HERE!”

Ghostbur huffed, unclenching his fist and turning to face his father, an unnatural calmness washing over him as a small smile pulled at his lips. “There was a saying, Phil.”

Ghostbur glanced over to Eret, “by a traitor.”

The ghost turned his attention back to his father, a frighteningly calm aura emitting from him, “Once part of L’Manberg. A traitor, I don’t know if you’ve heard of, Eret?”

Phil nodded, “Yeah.”

“He had a saying, Phil,” Ghostbur paused, turning his back on his father. He smiled to himself, placing his hand on the button.

“It was never meant to be.”

Ghostbur pushed the fake button, which was followed by Eret and Fundy making sounds that were reminiscent of explosions. 

“Oh my god…” Phil fake gasped. “You didn’t…”

A beat.

“Wil!” Philza yelled, grabbing his son’s arm.

Ghostbur exhaled, avoiding his father’s eyes. A moment later, he pulled out of his father's grasp, turning toward what would have been the then exploding L’Manberg. Ghostbur, a bright smile on his face, extended his arms towards the carnage. “MY L’MANBERG PHIL! MY UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, FOREVER UNFINISHED!”

Ghostbur took a deep breath, gesturing around himself to the ruins of L’Manberg. “IF I CAN'T HAVE THIS, NO ONE CAN, PHIL!”

A beat. 

Ghostbur took a breath, lowering his arms and glancing at the ground before looking up at his father. “Phil, kill me.”

“Phil, stab me with the sword. Murder me now. DO IT! Kill me Phil! Murder me! LOOK, they all want you to!” Ghostbur screamed, gesturing wildly to Eret and Fundy who were still watching from afar, the pair unnerved by this scarily accurate scene. 

Phil’s eyes widened, throwing one hand back while the other gripped onto the hilt of his sword, the same one he had used to kill his own son just over three years ago. The wound this sword left on Phil’s heart was still unhealed. 

“You’re my SON! No matter what you-”

“THEN LOOK! LOOK!” Ghostbur screamed, his voice growing raspy. He gestured again to the debris. “HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO THIS AND IT'S GONE?!”

A moment passed and Ghostbur placed his hands on his chest. His voice was considerably quieter when he spoke again, more like a mumble. “Do it. Do it.”

At the go ahead, Philza unsheathed his sword quickly, plunging his sword into the wound that seemed ever present on his ghost son’s body. Ghostbur reeled back, gasping and choking on the pain, tears welling in his eyes. The ghost fell to his knees, Philza falling with him as the sword stayed stuck in Ghostbur’s body. Ghostbur’s eyes fluttered closed as Philza brought his ghost son into a tight hug, tears pricking at the older man’s eyes as he squeezed them shut. Philza whispered to his son. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to do that ever again…”

Ghostbur smiled weakly, blue blood dripping from both his lips and where the blade punctured his abdomen. 

“Thank you…” Ghostbur faintly whispered as his vision went black and his world fell silent. 

Phil felt the weight of his son’s limp body disappear, prompting the man to open his eyes.

The body and spirit of Ghostbur was gone, a green and yellow shimmering glow left in its place as the totem shattered.

However, the ritual wasn’t over.

The three men must wait for confirmation on whether or not the ritual had worked as the final part of the ritual was only beginning to take place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU GUYS FOR READING CHAPTER 1!! This is my first proper fanfic and it means loads if you’ve made it this far. I hope you liked it and I hope to continue writing things you lot will like. I also hope to do this story justice, the ideas I have are probably better than my writing. 
> 
> Also to answer any questions about ages: in this au, hybrids age different than normal humans, they physically mature relatively the same (between 15-25), but once mature they age very slowly. Though Techno and Wilbur are in their mid-thirties in age in this fic, they look and act as if they were in their early 20s. Fundy looks and acts 16/17 despite being in his early twenties, Tommy and Tubbo both look and act a little immature for their age: the pair being in their mid-twenties but acting as if they were18/19. And philza though technically in his early 50s looks as if he’s in his very early 30s. So, essentially, picture them the same as you know them normally!! But yeah, my head canon is hybrids age differently and the physics and natural laws of their world differ from ours.
> 
> Anyway the songs I listened to whilst writing: 
> 
> -I’ll let it burn by Kanaya  
> -Your Unfinished Symphony by Kanaya  
> -Villain by Stella Jang  
> -Can I Exist by MISSIO  
> -My Family by Migos  
> -Ghosting by Mother Mother  
> -Typical Story by Hobo Johnson
> 
> I hope to see you all next chapter!


	2. Resurrection and Remorse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to AO3 statistics, only a small portion of readers are leaving a Kudos and Comment. It truly means the world to me if you could and it’s completely free! Plus you can always un-kudos and delete your comment later, though I don’t know why you’d want to. Anyways, thank you, and enjoy the fanfic.

**Void** : A large, empty space consisting of absolutely nothing.

Or,

A feeling of unhappiness because something or  **someone** is  **missing** .

It was dark and eerily silent here. 

For humans, it is unfathomable to think of true silence. There is always some background noise: the wind rustling tree branches, water slowly trickling down a stone brick wall, birds chirping, grass swaying, people bickering. 

But this place is devoid of  **all** sound and light.

There is no noise, not even the sound of one’s own heart beating can be heard here. 

But if you’re here, your heart has long since stilled. 

In this place, your own thoughts feel as though they could echo for miles. 

It seems as if your own internal monologue was loud enough to break the sound barrier in such a place where not even the sound of white noise or static could be heard. 

The silence was deafening and overwhelming all at once.

But the silence wasn’t the only thing off putting about this place? This space? This realm? This dimension? It was devoid of any light and any movement. 

There was no wind or breeze, merely the feeling of suspension, as if Wilbur was a puppet being held up by invisible, undetectable strings. 

There was no light that one could feel, no sensation one felt when they were woken up by the sun rising in the mornings. It felt darker than a night sky with no moon and no stars. 

With no light meant no heat, no warmth. You would expect a place completely absent of light to be more frigid than the Antarctic Tundra that Wilbur had called his childhood home.

He would have expected the tingling and then burning sensation prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures would cause. 

Yet this place was surprisingly temperate, it was a mild and peaceful temperature. One reminiscent of cool yet sunny days where one could lay outside and nap for hours without ever overheating nor getting chills.

Having spent long enough feeling out his surroundings, or lack thereof, Wilbur decided to go against what his body willed: Wilbur opened his eyes. 

  
  


Feeling as though he had awoken from a hundred year slumber, Wilbur let his eyelids flicker open, hoping his previous assessments of this place would have changed. Unfortunately, the young man was met with what people had told stories of for centuries. 

Wilbur was met with the source that had sparked many legends and myths. He had found himself in the place that was the basis of at least a few religions within his world: the **Void** .

The Void, like every story and myth had told was ,simply,  **nothing** . A place **lacking everything** which was made from  **absolutely nothing** .

Wilbur let his eyes shut, sighing softly to himself. The spirit saw no point in staring off into the all consuming abyss, knowing his eyes wouldn’t adjust to the lightless plane or pick up on anything. 

He curled in on himself, clutching his knees to his chest. 

Wilbur’s heart and chest ached. The pain wasn’t from a sword being plunged into his chest mere moments ago…

...was it moments ago?

It felt like it had been an eternity since he felt the comforting embrace of his father’s arms as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

Wilbur grabbed onto his shirt, a small gasp escaping his lips as he realized he no longer was wearing the soft yellow jumper and jeans from before. Instead the man realized he was dawning his signature exile outfit, trenchcoat and all. He was dressed in the same clothes he had lost his final life in.

The gash that the sword should have made was nonexistent, Wilbur’s clothes and skin unblemished and in pristine condition. 

Thinking for a moment, or a few, Wilbur realized the ache in his chest was from fear and regret. 

Wilbur didn’t regret the actions he took that led to his death, Manberg deserved to go up in a mess of fire and explosions. What he did regret though, were the ways he had treated the ones he loved.

He was known to ostracize the ones he loved, it was a painful habit Wilbur had found himself stuck in, and he regretted the strain it put on his relationships.

Images of his smiling, outgoing and ever curious son were soiled from the pain, the distrust, the abandonment he had put his dear fox pup through. Thoughts of his humorous and ever adventurous twin were soured by the knowledge that everyone had turned against and were hunting his other half. Memories of his clingy, loud, but loving little brother were shattered as Wilbur remembered how far away he had pushed his baby brother, how he spoke down to him, looked down on him, and judged him harsher than needed. 

Those were Wilbur’s regrets. His fears came from the uncertainty that he would ever be able to right his wrongs and mend his frayed relations.

The young man felt himself tremble, causing him to grip onto himself tighter. The temperature had stayed the same, yet his own anxieties seemed to chill Wilbur to his very core. 

Letting out a shaking, wavering breath, Wilbur felt his curls brush against his forehead, almost as if there was a breeze in this desolate place. It was an odd, but welcomed change.

The Void usually felt horribly still, yet at this moment Wilbur could swear he was floating, suspended in something lighter than water but thicker than air. 

Despite it being undeniably terrifying, the Void was peaceful. 

The Void...arguably had it’s charms. 

Despite his unwillingness to admit it, Wilbur was beginning to grow accustomed to this barren place. Well,  _ almost _ grown accustomed to it. 

That was until Wilbur began feeling his body being pulled away from the silence, from the darkness, from the peace. 

His eyelids felt warm, registering something different against the previous nothing. Allowing his eyes to flicker open, Wilbur could finally see what he was being drawn to: the  **Light** . 

People always say that you should never go towards the light. as it meant you were dying. 

It’s funny how seeing “the Light” means you’re dead or dying when the place you go to during death is lacking any and all light. Wilbur found himself slightly chuckling at that realization.

So, if the light when you’re alive represents being on death’s doorstep, what does that mean for a ghost? If you were already dead, going through your resurrection, wouldn’t the light mean the opposite? Wouldn’t the light, in this case, mean life? Mean living again?

Wilbur reached out to the light, feeling warmth begin to fill his cold body. He began seeing color slowly coming back to his grey-scale skin, something he hadn’t seen in nearly 2 months. The light felt warm and welcoming, and if Wilbur wasn’t already instinctually compelled to move towards it, he argues he would’ve chosen to do so anyway. Any hope of warmth and color had to be better than this. 

Wilbur stretched out his hand again, attempting to grasp the light, but having to shield his eyes as it became blinding. Despite the light practically blinding the spirit, it wasn’t harsh, but rather felt like the soft glow, one emitted from a comforting fire that warmed a cold cottage home in the winter.

Wilbur, however, only pulled back from the light when he heard an all too familiar voice, turning himself away from the light in order to face the shrill sound cutting through the silence. 

“WILBUR?! WILBUR?! NO!! DON’T GO!! WILBY!! DON'T GO, PLEASE!! IT’S TOO DARK AND I CAN’T SEE OR HEAR ANYTHING!! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE HERE!! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE AGAIN!! DON’T LEAVE ME DICKHEAD!!” 

“Tommy? Tommy is that you?” Wilbur found himself smiling brightly, turning back towards the light. The voice felt like confirmation that the first face he would see once he was alive again would be that of his annoying, but lovable little brother. 

Alive again. 

Those two words seemed to make Wilbur’s heart flutter. The self aware part of him despised the idea of going back, knowing that Wilbur would most likely only cause more drama. However the more optimistic side of Wilbur, arguably the part that was manifested through Ghostbur, wanted so badly to be alive. 

The lack of sights, sides, and movements in the Void left room for a lot of thinking and looking back at one’s life. 

Although the resurrection started a mere few minutes ago, to Wilbur it felt like a millennium. 

Time felt like it worked differently, here in the Void.

During what has felt like years in this empty place, Wilbur had taken time to sort through the memories that were slowly returning to him. The silence meant Wilbur finally had the chance to properly think. 

He remembered what Alivebur had done to his family, how he had hurt everyone he cared for. 

He remembered L’Manberg. 

He remembered the L’Manberg Revolution. He remembered the joy they had all felt once they were free. The fear he felt when JSchlatt had exiled him and Tommy. The anger he felt when he desired nothing more than revenge. When he wanted nothing more than to bring the very thing he created to its knees. 

But more than anything, Wilbur remembered how in those last crucial months and even last years together, he had been so very cold with his younger brother. 

In their younger years, Wilbur and Tommy were pretty close. The three brothers had always been close, but the addition of Wilbur’s son made things complicated. Understandably so, Wilbur gave his son more attention than his little brother, causing an eventual strain on their relationship. Tommy wanted nothing more than for Wilby to notice him, to be proud of him. 

Tommy’s clingy nature became a nuisance to Wilbur as the years went on, especially when it seemed that Tommy was fighting Fundy for attention. Wilbur found himself lashing out at his younger brother more and more, driving a wedge further between the two.

Things seemed to get better when Wilbur had asked Tommy to make drugs with him, and then when the brothers, along with Tubbo, founded L’Manberg together. 

However, their relationship only turned sour when the two were exiled. When Pogtopia became both their salvation and the thing that would bring their ruin.

In the end, their relationship went up in a cloud of fire, smoke, ash, and the distant sound of TNT exploding.

He regretted hurting Tommy, the young boy who wanted nothing more than to make Wilbur proud. What Tommy didn’t know was that he had already made Wilbur proud. He...he had always made Wilbur proud. 

He had made a promise to himself that when he was alive again, one of the first things he would do would be to apologize to Tommy and finally be the big brother Tommy needed him to be. 

Tommy has always tried to make Wilbur proud, but it was Wilbur’s turn to make Tommy proud. 

He also made the mental note to tease Tommy relentlessly about calling him Wilby once again. Tommy had slipped up a few times, calling Wilbur Wilby. Whenever he made the mistake, it always warmed his older brother’s heart, digging up old memories of when a youngTommy used to struggle when he was trying to learn Wilbur’s name. 

“I’ll be home soon Tommy!! I’m almost back!!” 

“NO!! WILBUR PLEASE STAY!! YOU PROMISED NOT TO LEAVE ME AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!!” Tommy’s voice sounded strained and desperate, choked up on what were probably tears. “IT’S SO FUCKING COLD!! EVERYTHING HURTS WILBUR!! I’M LOST, I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO GO!! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN!! I CAN’T TAKE BEING ALONE AGAIN!! PLEASE WILBUR!! PLEASE!!” 

The pleading and yelling grew distant as Wilbur neared the light, the words his brother said planting a seed of doubt and worry in the back of his mind, something Wilbur was choosing to ignore. 

Just like when he arrived in the void, Wilbur's vision became nothing. However this time rather than the inky black nothingness, Wilbur was blinded by a bright, all-consuming white light.

No longer did the young man hear deafening silence or the shouts from his brother, he heard nothing but a horrible ringing. 

Wilbur squeezed his eyes shut, the light burning his eyes and causing tears to steam down his cheeks. He grasped at his ears, attempting to cover them and block out the horrible, Tinnitus-like ringing.

He kept his hands at his ears, even when he realized the ringing was coming from inside his own head.

As the light and sound was beginning to become too much to handle, just as fast as it had started, it all stopped. 

Wilbur bega to feel movement. It wasn’t like when he was floating or being pulled.

No. 

Wilbur was falling, plummeting. Wind violently blew back his curls and Wilbur had to reach up and pull his beanie snug to his head, hoping he was strong enough to keep it in place. 

A moment later, Wilbur felt himself crash on the hard earth beneath him, groaning at the bruising he felt all the way down to his bones. His eyes flickered open as dust settled, blurry images of familiarity surrounding him. The ringing began to subside as he heard familiar voices calling his name: his father, Fundy, Eret...

Everything ached and an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion swept over Wilbur. He didn’t want to move, he didn’t want to think. 

He looked down at himself, slowly clenching and unclenching his fingerless-gloved hands, slowly processing the world around him.

After a few bated breaths, Wilbur slowly sat up, rubbing his temples in order to ease his now subsiding headache. 

The sound of long held breaths exhaling caused Wilbur to glance up again. Though some memories were fuzzy, they would come back with time. 

Part of Ghostbur’s wishes seemed to remain, thankfully. He remembered wanting to fix the relationships he had either broken or severed. He wanted to forgive Eret. He wanted to be a better person.

Shifting his weight slightly, Wilbur slowly tried to stand up, his muscles weak and trembling. Noting his struggles, his father and son helped him to his feet. Their touch was gentle, as if the two men were treating Wilbur like he was made of glass. Like he would shatter and leave them again if they weren’t careful. 

Once standing, more so leaning on his father and son for balance and support, Wilbur glanced at the familiar faces. His eyes darted quickly around his calm and excited friends. They spoke words of welcome, happy to finally have their family or friend back. 

The words seemed to fall on deaf ears, though, as Wilbur’s brown eyes eventually landed on Tubbo. Allowing himself to put the pieces together, Wilbur noticed that Tubbo was being consoled by Ranboo, not paying any attention to the fact Wilbur had come back to the world. Thinking about it, he hadn’t heard Tubbo or Ranboo welcome him back, he wasn’t even sure if the two were aware of his presence.

But thinking back on it, Wilbur could have sworn that he had heard the boy’s sobs mix with the ringing. 

Wilbur began going over the events in his head again. He had been brought back to life. Fundy, Eret and Philza had all welcomed him home. Tubbo and Ranboo were holding each other as Tubbo’s body shook with sobs and Ranboo fought back tears.

But there was one person, one very important presence missing amongst the crowd. There was one voice he had still yet to: the familiar shrill and obnoxious voice he had heard in the void. 

Wilbur, confused, glanced again at the crowd around him, mumbling the names to himself.

“Dad...Fundy...Eret...Tubbo...Ranboo...” 

Wilbur looked to his father, worry washing over Wilbur’s before composed expression. 

“Philza...? Dad...? Where’s Tommy...?” 

The atmosphere around the men seemed to grow cold and heavy. The only movement was that from Phil, who shifted uncomfortably as his eyes darted around, thinking about how best to break the news to his now alive son.

When Wilbur was met with nothing but silence and a sad smile, his heart sank. 

Silence from Philza was  **never** a good thing.

Wilbur looked away from his father, his eyes falling onto his son. 

Fundy had grown since Wilbur, well, Alivebur had seen him. No longer did the young boy who so desperately dreamed of being a soldier, who wore a crayola L’Manberg suit, who ran against his father and turned to espionage in order to be trusted again stand before Wilbur. Rather, a young man who had finally grown into his fox-like ears and eyes, and made a name for himself stood before his father.

Fundy had tears in his eyes, his sharp eyes reddened from tears, but he had the brightest smile on his face. After a moment of comfortable silence between the pair, the two embraced, Fundy grabbing onto his father’s coat as he sobbed. This time, Wilbur sobbed with him. The father and son needed this, so many unspoken words silently exchanged in this moment.

Wilbur had arguably put Fundy through hell in the latter years of his life. Yet despite every hardship and all the pain, his son was still here, still yearning for his father to come back home. 

Wilbur smiled weakly, yet warmly, at his son, brushing the tears off Fundy’s cheeks. Fundy leaned into the comforting touch. He had missed his father so much, he had missed the comfort of family so much. 

Fundy hadn’t been the best member of the Sleepy Bois Inc Family. He certainly wasn’t without his faults and his own drama. He had run against his father in the first, and only, presidential election for L’Manberg. He had worked closely under Schlatt, the tyrant who had exiled Fundy’s own father and uncle. He worked for Tubbo, serving the government and country that had killed his father. He had been a part of the ‘Butcher Army’ that hunted down his other uncle, Technoblade, and had stood by as they attempted to execute Techno. He had put his own grandfather under house arrest. 

But now, with Wilbur alive again, it seemed there was hope that maybe their family wasn’t cursed to hurt each other. Maybe things would be okay.

Wilbur had been thinking something similar, ever since his time in the void. He had hurt Fundy in so many ways, and here his son was, still desperately seeking the love, comfort, and attention he hoped his father could provide.

Wilbur promised himself to fix the broken relationship he left with his son. 

Wilbur’s to-do list, he thought to himself, was to be a better son, be a better father, be a better twin, be a better friend, and be a better older brother. 

  
  


Be a better older brother...

Those words rang through Wilbur’s head as he slowly pulled away from his son, gently ruffling Fundy’s hair as he glanced at everyone again. 

Wilbur took a moment to meet every person’s eyes, silently repeating his earlier question: Where was Tommy?

When no one responded, the tense silence only broken by Tubbo’s sobs, Wilbur’s now beating heart stilled from worry. 

Wilbur felt his breath catch in his throat, his heart beating rapidly from the growing anxiety. He looked down, his pale hands trembling. Wilbur clenched his hands, hoping to ground himself, only for his fists to continue to shake. 

Wilbur looked up again, meeting the faces before him and getting a feel of the space around him. 

_ Tommy’s  _ **_gone_ ** _. Tommy’s gone and you could have stopped it. You left him all  _ **_alone_ ** _ again when you could have protected him. You broke your promises. You should’ve listened better. Oh big brother Wilby, letting down poor, little Tommy all over again. When will you learn? When will you learn that your actions have  _ **_consequences_ ** _? When will you learn that you  _ **_break_ ** _ everything you touch? When will you see that you deserve  _ **_nothing_ ** _. “If you can’t have it, then no one can”, isn’t that what you said, Wilbur? I bet you didn’t expect that to mean you would  _ **_lose_ ** _ everything you ever cared about. You should have  _ **_listened_ ** _.  _

Wilbur’s eyes widened, the man tugging at his hair as he was brought to his knees. 

They were back.

The Voices were back

Ghostbur hadn’t experienced the Voices, or at least if he did, he never paid attention to them.

Wilbur and Techno had both always suffered from the Voices, Philza commenting at one point that he too heard them. 

Techno’s Voices always craved blood and violence, “Blood for the Blood God”, a phrase they repeated often. The Voices used to scare Techno when he was young, but now they empowered him.

Wilbur’s own voices were never violent, at least not outwardly. If they craved blood, it was usually Wilbur’s own, not anyone else’s. They plagued Wilbur’s mind attacking Wilbur where it hurt most. 

Wilbur cursed to himself. 

The Voices should’ve stayed in the Void.

Philza knelt next to his son, rubbing his back and speaking softly to soothe Wilbur, hoping to bring him back to reality. 

Fundy too attempted to comfort his father, although his ears which were flattened against his hair were a give-away at Fundy’s own fears. It had been years since he had seen his father breakdown due to the Voices in his head. Wilbur had seemingly got so used to them he could block them out a majority of the time. But, he figured revival after years without the voices, would make the walls he built crumble. 

Minutes pass and Wilbur is eventually able to quiet the voices, regaining his composure. Fundy and Philza help Wilbur to his feet again, everyone waiting for what will happen next.

The silence was all telling.

Revival should’ve been a happier moment, WIlbur thought. 

Philza should’ve been happier to see his son. 

Fundy should’ve been more excited to have his dad back.

Eret should’ve spoken to Wilbur more, having never said a word other than a welcome.

But everyone was silent, all of them seemingly waiting for an invisible ball to drop. 

In that moment, all eyes landed on Tubbo, who was battered, scarred and bruised, making it painfully obvious that he was avoiding Wilbur’s gaze.

“Tubbo, where’s Tommy?” 

The ball drops. 

At the question, Tubbo shatters, tears and wails coming from the already broken child, breaking him more if it was at all possible. 

Wilbur recoils from the screams, eyes widening before looking back to Phil. 

Phil doesn’t break from his son’s gaze as Will’s eyes bore into his father, trying to find an answer in his silence. Phil doesn’t falter, meeting his son’s eyes with a mournful and comforting look. 

When Phil speaks, it’s almost a whisper too quiet for Wilbur to hear over the ringing in his ears. 

“Tommy....Tommy’s dead...” 

Hearing the words finally uttered into existence, it felt like the whole world shattered to pieces.

Tubbo wailed louder at the confession, feeling reality press further onto the boy.

“IT WAS MY FAULT I SHOULD’VE KNOWN-“ Tubbo screamed, his voice strained and breaking from the grief.

Ranboo hugs Tubbo tighter, attempting to console his friend all while attempting to hide his own grief.

“You didn’t know that was Jack’s plan...” Ranboo mumbles, tears staining the Enderman-hybrids' two toned face, “you didn’t know he was using you against Tommy...” 

The world seemed to come to a stand still as Wilbur put the pieces together, tears silently beginning to stream down his cheeks. In a moment of weakness, or maybe habit, Wilbur attempted to reach into his pocket for some blue, knowing blue would help dull the pain and calm him. But when he pulled his hand back, there was no blue staining his finger tips, it had disappeared along with Ghostbur. 

This was the real world now, and Wilbur had to experience grief in its completeness without any blue to act as a comfort. Ghostbur, in a way, was always grieving the loss of his life and country, which made the blue always retain such a deep hue. But this grief was different, it was new and raw and not one forged from his own choices and mistakes. It was unbridled, painful, and all consuming. It was out of his control and he could do nothing about it.

Wilbur clenched his empty fists, still silently praying some blue would magically appear on his fingertips.

In that moment, Wilbur tried his hardest to replay the voice he had heard when in the Void. The voice he had heard was most certainly Tommy’s, but Wilbur now realised his brother hadn’t been pleading for him to come back to life and rejoin them in the Overworld. Rather, Tommy was begging Wilbur to stay, begging him to not leave him alone in the Void, begging him not to leave him alone to fend for himself again. 

Wilbur began to shake, both from grief and anger. 

He shook his head slightly, ignoring any accusations that Tubbo had made to suggest he was the one to kill Tommy or had even played a role in Tommy’s death. 

Tubbo may have been the one to take Tommy’s last life, at least having a hand in Tommy’s demise. Tubbo may have been Tommy’s stereotypical betrayer, but... 

But in Wilbur’s eyes, Tommy had been left for dead the moment Philza had cast them aside. The moment neither of them seemed to matter to their father. The moment Philza had made his choice, choosing Wilbur’s elder twin, Techno, over the two of them. 

“Tubbo...” Wilbur whispered sternly, “you didn’t kill him. “ 

Tubbo looked over at Wilbur, sniffling before meekly asking “wh-what?”

Ranboo too looked up at Wilbur, pain and confusion playing in unison in the hybrid’s mismatched eyes. “What do you mean, Wilbur?”

Wilbur straightened his posture, pulling out of Philza and Fundy’s grasp in order to hold himself up without support. Taking a deep breath, Wilbur held his head up high, much like he did before he had destroyed L’Manberg.

The calm that fell over him was frightening.

He turned and glared daggers into his father, everyone who bear witness took a step back, fearing what would be a clash between two powerful individuals. 

Philza’s Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but nothing else hinted at any fear or regret the older man may have. He met his son’s gaze head on with the same intensity, never once faltering, almost attempting to challenge his son to speak his mind. 

To tell the whole world what he really felt.

Wilbur accepted the challenge, taking his chance to speak his mind. His words were as sharp as a sword, as direct as an arrow, and as damaging as an axe. 

“Tommy was dead the moment Phil turned his back on us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND thank you for reading chapter 2.
> 
> Tommy's dead crabrave. Jk I love the gremlin child.
> 
> So I hear you like angst? Have I provided? Would you like more? Because you're gonna get it, no choice. I don't know about you, but this chapter hurt me. And it hurts more to think about what I have to write next.
> 
> ANYWAY! I wrote this while chatting with friends on the PlumSMP (I got Pigstep, Mellohi, Blocks, 11, Chirp, and Stal so be jealous), vibing to JSchlatt's spotify playlist, and scream singing to any and all of Wilbur's songs.
> 
> Songs to listen to when reading this and maybe cry to???:
> 
> -Us Against the World by Kanaya  
> -Your Unfinished Symphony by Kanaya  
> -I'll Let It Burn by Kanaya  
> \- Fin by Kanaya  
> -An Ode to L'Manburg by Beetlebug
> 
> And especially:
> 
> \- November 16th by Kanaya
> 
> Yes, I cried listening to November 16th while writing this, don't judge me.


	3. Resentment and Ramifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can't pog through the pain no moe.
> 
> Wilbur gets resurrected and chooses violence. Tubbo is depressed. Philza gets wrecked. Fundy is scared. Eret is sad. Ranboo is more sad. And Techno is just confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to AO3 statistics, only a small portion of readers are leaving a Kudos and Comment. It truly means the world to me if you could and it’s completely free! Plus you can always un-kudos and delete your comment later, though I don’t know why you’d want to. Anyways, thank you, and enjoy the fanfic.

Silence followed those sharp words prompting Wil to repeat them.

“Tommy was dead the moment Phil turned his back on us.”

Everyone held their breaths, waiting to see who would speak next. Waiting to see what Philza would say or do. 

When Philza remained silent, Wilbur became even more angry.

“What?! Cat got your tongue?!”

Philza sighs softly. His son was hurting. He had only just come back from the dead to find out his baby brother had died. Guilt and grief tugged at Philza’s heart, the older man wanting nothing more than to cry along with Tubbo and Ranboo, but time spent with Techno had hardened the man’s exterior. 

“I never turned my back on you-” Philza tried to explain.

“BULLSHIT!!” Wilbur screamed, rage making his normally chocolate-colored eyes, red. “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN THE LAST 6 BLOODY YEARS?! WE NEEDED YOU!! PEOPLE WERE ATTACKING US EVEN BEFORE L’MANBERG HAD BEEN CREATED!! BUT NEITHER YOU NOR TECHNO WERE ANYWHERE TO BE SEEN! IT WAS ME AND TOMMY AGAINST THE WORLD!!”

Wilbur huffed, his voice hoarse and croaky, tears making rivers down his cheeks. “AND WHEN WE WERE EXILED, TECHNO CAME AND HELPED BUT WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! YOU ANSWERED ONCE WHEN TOMMY HAD JOKINGLY CALLED YOU BECAUSE I WAS TEASING HIM ONLY BECAUSE HE HAD MENTIONED TECHNO WAS THERE!! TECHNO WAS THE ONLY ONE YOU EVER CARED ABOUT AND IF MUMZA WAS STILL HERE-”

“That’s enough.” Eret spoke sternly, placing a hand on his trembling friend’s shoulder. Wilbur’s eyes darted over his shoulder to glare at Eret. His eyes were the eyes of a madman. 

Phil just stood there quietly, absorbing every word his son shot at him, the only bit of emotion showing from Philza’s shaking hands and bated breath. 

Eret spoke slowly, calmly, gently rubbing Wilbur’s back while his friend slowly came back from his rage filled insanity. “We need to know what happened. W-We need to know why Tommy…” Eret’s voice trailed off. If he hadn’t been wearing his sunglasses, you would have been able to see the tears.

Wilbur slowly slumped to the floor, Fundy sitting next to his father and continuing to rub his back. His ears were still flattened against his head, still frightened by the sudden outlash, but he understood. Tommy was dead and everyone was hurt and confused.

Eret walked over to Tubbo, gently patting the boy’s head in an attempt to soothe the crying child. “Tubbo...if it’s not too hard to tell us...how did he die…? How did this happen? What happened…?”

Tubbo hiccuped softly, sniffling and wiping the tears from his eyes with trembling hands.  
“I-It was an a-accident I think…?”

Ranboo shook his head softly, “we, we both know it wasn’t an accident Tub.”

Phil looked at Tubbo, “Tubbo, please mate, what happened to my son?”

Tubbo inhaled sharply, trying to sit up, trying to be calm, trying to tell the story as he knew it, for Tommy’s sake.

**************************************

“TUBZO?! TUBZO?! WHERE ARE WE GOING?! IT’S FUCKING COLD!! WHY ARE YOU BRINING ME OUT TO FUCKING SNOWCHESTER?! YOU KNOW I’M IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THE BIG INNIT ‘OTEL!! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR DISTRACTIONS!!” Tommy yelled, laughing to himself for being such a ‘big man’ as he followed his friend through the snow.

“I actually thought Sam Nook was building the hotel for you because you’re rather bad at building. I thought you were just getting resources and being the clean up crew.” Tubbo said in a matter-of-fact tone, a teasing smile on his face as he skipped ahead, prompting Tommy to sprint in order to catch up.

“I- how dare you Tubbo. Sam is contractually obligated to tell everyone I built the hotel all by myself. Then maybe Philza will be proud of me and everyone here will stop thinking I am such a shit builder.” 

“You are a shit builder.”

Before Tommy could angrily yell in response, Tubbo continued as he tapped his chin slightly with his finger, pretending to think. “Hmm..didn’t you scam Philza into giving you the diamonds in order to pay Sam to build the hotel though?”

“Fuck you Tubbo, it wasn’t a, a scam.” Tommy thought for a moment, staring off at the snow before smirking and shrugging, suddenly acting a lot more confident and full of himself. “Okay, I did scam him and I did a right good job of it! 32 diamonds!! And all i had to do was be nice to Charlie for 15 minutes!!”

Tubbo giggled, “you weren’t even that nice. Didn’t you threaten to decapitate him?”

“That’s all in the details, Tubzo.”

“Well, Sam Nook is still making you do those stupid tasks while he sits at the construction site watching you work.”

“Tubbo,” Tommy huffed, “you are making me sound like I am Sam Nook’s bitch. I am NOT a bitch, if anything he is my- no. No I can’t say that, I’ll get in trouble for that joke, oh no no no.” Tommy cleared his throat, laughing nervously. “Sam is my em-ploy-ee Tubbo. I am the big boss man.”

“Big boss man, riiiiiiight,” Tubbo teased, looking back at his tall, winged friend.

“Shut up, I am absolutely massive.”

Tommy’s wings curled around the boy, trying to keep in the heat as Tommy had refused to wear the Snowchester outfit, saying it looked too stupid. 

“You know, you wouldn’t be that cold if you just put on the Snowchester jacket.”

“I am never, ever going to wear that jacket. It looks dumb, and I am not dumb. I am actually very very smart, and a very very smart thing for me to do would be not to dress like you and the rest of your cult, Tubzo.”

Tubbo frowned, “We are not a cult! We, we are a collective! A commune!”

“Tubbo. That sounds so fucking culty. You’re actin’ all sus brov.” Tommy cackled, nudging his shorter friend who in turn hit him slightly with his horns. The two best friends burst out into laughter at their play fighting. 

“But really Tubbo, why are you bringing me out here?” Tommy asked, his voice turning slightly more serious.

“I wanted to show you something me and Jack have been working on. It’s going to help us ensure our independence now that it’s done. Dream won’t ever be able to mess with Snowchester.” Tubbo smiled, a proud glint in his eyes. 

“Ensure your independence? I remember when I got us independence, giving up the discs ‘n shit. I lost a fucking life doing that you know?” Tommy said, recounting the duel he lost to dream and then giving up his most prized possessions, essentially creating a butterfly effect that would lead to countless wars and the country they fought for destroyed down to bedrock. 

“...Tommy I was literally a witness to that. Do you not remember I was Secretary of State? I helped found it too! I was in the anthem! I was a founding father! I was president! I died for L’Manberg too!”

“I know Tubbo! That’s why I’m asking why you would want to do that all over again?”

“Snowchester is different,” Tubbo argued.

“How is it any different from L’Manberg?”

Tubbo sighed, “well, there’s no government. We all make the decisions together. We are a community like I said earlier.”  
  


“Mmmmmm, still sounds like a cult to me.”

Tubbo whined, "it’s not a cult!”

Tommy cackled again, having to stop walking so he wouldn’t fall from laughter. “Y-You know Tubbo, Quackity calls Snowchester Canada.”

“We aren’t Canada! Ugh! ANYWAY!! You want to hear about how we are going to ensure our independence?”  
  


“Oh right, your independence, that’s what we were talking about. Sorry, I got distracted remembering how awesome I am,” Tommy snickered. 

Tubbo rolled his eyes as the pair made their way into the town. “Well, for the past few weeks, me and Jack have been working on what we call Project Dreamcatcher.”

“Oh ho ho, Project Dreamchatcher, ey? What, you gonna catch Dream, mmm?”

“No, we are going to blow him up with nukes if he ever threatens our independence- though he is in prison now...still we CAN blow him up if he ever threatens us.”

Tubbo said it so casually that it made Tommy gasp.

“NUKES?! YOU’RE GOING TO BLOW HIM UP WITH NUKES?! HOW DID YOU EVEN MAKE THEM?!”

Tubbo giggled, “that is for me to know, and Dream to worry about-”

Tubbo was cut off as Foolish just, quietly passed the pair, rowing his boat through the snow. Tubbo and Tommy stared at him, then looked at each other.

When Foolish was just out of ear-shot, Tommy spoke, “what the fuck is his deal?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. But he seems cool.”

“I swear to god one day I am going to kill that Foolish guy. His face is ugly and he annoys me.”

Tubbo sighed, laughing a little under his breath. 

Tommy laughed, “I was wrong Tubbo. You’re not fucking Canada, you’re-you’re North fucking Korea.”

“We’re NOT North Korea!!!! Well ANYWAY, let me show you the lab.”

Tubbo dramatically swung open the factory doors, moving so both he and Tommy could enter.

Tommy gasped at the site, before him were 3 nuclear warheads, ready to be used at a moment's notice. 

“Tubbo, what the fuck?”

Before Tubbo could answer, another person entered the room.

“Oh? You decided to finally show Tommy?” Jack Manifold asked, closing the door behind him to keep the cold out. 

Tubbo nodded quickly, “it was about time he knew. Dream also hurt him and he’s our friend, so if Snowchester can help him then we should.”

Jack inhaled sharply, hiding the annoyance in his eyes, “Oh, yeah that makes sense. Yeah Tommy, these are our nukes. Tubbo, want to explain how they work?”

Tubbo smiled, “oh sure.” Tubbo gestured over to Tommy to follow as he gave him a tour of the factory. “So it’s pretty simple. We place them on the launch pad, then when we are ready to fire both me and Jack have to use this.” Tubbo paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a keycard. “Once both of these are inserted into the key-card readers, the nuke can be launched and will land at the designated target. It’s brilliant!”

“Tubbo, how much damage does it do?” Tommy asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, we don’t know for certain, in fact we are going to test it in a few minutes, but if our calculations are correct, it should do about the same damage as what was done to L’Manberg” Tubbo beamed, proud of his work.

Tommy was in shock, his mouth agape, “AS MUCH AS- BIG T!! THAT’S POGGERS!! OH THE GREEN BASTARD WON’T KNOW WHAT HIT ‘IM!!” Tommy smiled widely, looking at Tubbo. “Can I watch the test? I want to see this shit explode and put fucking TNT to shame.”

Tubbo nodded enthusiastically, “oh sure-!”

Jack cut Tubbo off, “no actually.”

Tommy whined, “But whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?”

Tubbo looked at Jack confused, “yeah, why can’t he?”

“Because Wilbur’s resurrection is today, innit? You don’t want to miss it- OH! Speaking of that! Niki said she wanted to be there, Tommy would it be too much to ask if you could go get Niki and bring her with you to the resurrection?”

“Um, okay?” Tommy asked, looking confused. He sighed, “guess I’ll ‘ave to go get Wilbur’s girlfriend.”

“You know they are and never were and never would date, right Tommy?” Tubbo asked.

“Yeah I fuckin’ know that, doesn’t mean I don’t like takin’ the piss out on Wilbur for it!” Tommy laughed. “Tubbo, you’ll still come afterwards right? To see Wilbur again?”

“Of course I will. In fact, I asked Ranboo earlier if he would come get me before it starts in case I haven’t left earlier.”

“Poggers, alright Tubzo, Jack, I’ll see you boys later!” With that, Tommy left, looking at his compass before deciding what was the quickest way to Niki’s house.

The hawk-hybrid trudged through the snow, using his broken wings to keep himself warm.  
  


“I should’ve grabbed a fucking coat…”

About 10 minutes passed and Tommy was trudging through a rather open valley, parkouring up the hills in order to cut his travel time down by a few minutes. Little did he know, he had wandered into the test site, just as planned.

Jack looked at the clock, gulping slightly as he attempted to push down his fear. “Any second now...yes.” He mumbled before looking at Tubbo. “Is it all set up?”

“Yep! We are officially ready to test!”

“Awesome! Then let’s do it right now. No time like the present!”

Tubbo gave Jack a confused look, “why the rush?”

Jack stumbled slightly on his words, “w-well, you don’t want to risk being late to the resurrection. Right?”

“Right..well, alright then.” 

“I’m excited Tubbo!! It’ll all be over soon!!”

“Over? But this is just the beginning?” Tubbo asked, confused.

“Y-yeah, well I meant the anticipation,” Jack defended, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. 

Tubbo pulled out his key card, inserting it into the card reader. “Well, um, alright. Card 1 is in.”

Jack inserted his key card into the other reader. “Card 2 is also in.”

Tubbo pulled up the screen, typing in a few commands. “Countdown begins now. Launching in 5...4...3...2…”

“One.” Jack said, a snicker to his voice and an evil glint in his eyes. Before Tubbo could notice, he had pressed the button. The two boys rushed to the Observation Deck and peered through their scopes to watch as the once white valley miles away erupted into flames, sending blocks everywhere. 

“Jack!! Did you see that?! It worked!! Dream won’t know what he’s going against!! Jack?”

Tubbo glanced over at the suspiciously quiet Jack, who then broke the silence by bursting into maniacal laughter.

Tubbo’s ears flattened against his fluffy hair and he stepped back from fright. 

“IT’S FINALLY OVER!! IT’S OVER!! OUR PROBLEM HAS **FINALLY** BEEN TAKEN CARE OF!!”

“Wh-What problem?! You mean Dream?! Yeah he won’t-”

“NOT DREAM YOU IDIOT!!” Jack continued to laugh, having to lean against the walls to support him. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked Tubbo in the eyes. “I’m not sorry.”

“Y-You’re not sorry- what do you me-”

“Tommy’s dead!! That valley is the quickest way to get to Niki’s! I timed it to the second! Tommy should have been in the middle of the site right as it hit!! Oh everything is finally over!! The problem is finally dead!!”

“What- No. No. No! Th-That’s impossible! H-He can’t be! Th-There’s no way! There’s no way!! Tommy can’t be dead!!” Tubbo screamed, tears welling in his eyes.

“Oh but you see Tubbo, he is, and we are finally free. No more wars, no more stupid bloody discs. No more threat from Dream. And finally payback for him destroying everything. Thing’s can finally be peaceful now.”

Quiet sobs escaped Tubbo’s mouth, “H-How could you?! He was our friend!”

Jack shook his head, regaining a calm composure. “No, he was your friend Tubbo. He stopped being mine when he destroyed my home, our home, our L’Manberg.”

Tubbo looked like a deer caught in headlights, fear seemingly paralyzing him. “Y-You, you’re a monster!”

“Wrong again, Tub. Tommy was the monster, and we, the hero-”

Jack was silenced as Tubbo threw a punch at him, his fist landing straight on Jack’s jaw, causing the boy to stumble back. “You killed my best friend!!! I’ll, I’ll kill you for this!”

Jack rubbed his jaw, smiling. “Oh Tubbo, it takes two to set off a nuke! I couldn’t have killed him myself when you’re holding the other card! You killed him just as much as I did!”

Tubbo stopped short of throwing another punch when the realization set in. “N-No...I couldn’t, I would never...Tommy...I-”

“But you did. We did.”Jack clicked his tongue, pulling a splash potion out of his coat pocket. “Now, I suggest you take some time to think things over, and realize the service we just did for all who live here.”

With that, Jack chucked the splash potion of weakness at Tubbo, waiting a moment to give it effect, before punching Tubbo right in the stomach. “That is for letting that traitor back into L’Manberg.”

Another punch to the gut. “That is for putting your ‘friend’ before your country and everyone in it.”

A punch straight at Tubbo’s nose, bruising it and causing a nosebleed. “That was for punching me.”

Tubbo, with that last punch mixed with weakness, had now crumpled to the ground. Jack seized the opportunity and kicked Tubbo’s stomach once more, prompting the young boy to spit up blood. “And that’s for calling me a monster.”

As one final goodbye, Jack opened a potion of harming and let a few drops fall onto the scars of Tubbo’s face. Tubbo shrieked in pain before the pain and weakness made his world fade to black.

************************

Tubbo sniffled, “th-then Ranboo found me...I told him everything...and he brought us here...I should’ve known...I should’ve…”

Philza spoke softly, moving to envelop Tubbo in a hug, “you didn’t know. No one did, except Jack...it’s not your fault…” He tried his best to comfort his adopted son as he desperately tried to fend off his own tears from escaping. 

Wilbur in the meantime stood quietly, his clenched fists trembling. He took a deep breath and then walked over to Tubbo, hugging the boy when Phil moved back. Wilbur petted the boy’s hair softly, his voice surprisingly comforting. “It’s...It’s okay Tubbo...but we can’t just leave Tommy there. It’s been a few hours...his ghost may have found it’s way back to the Overworld by now. And if it hasn’t...then we need to get his body. We can’t risk wolves finding it...he needs a proper burial.”

Fundy fumbled with his fingers, cringing at the word burial. There was once a time when Fundy had begged everyone to give his father a proper L’Manberg funeral, but his requests were turned down. In the end, Wilbur didn’t even get a headstone, simply an unmarked grave somewhere in the rubble of the country he once made. Fundy hoped his uncle would get a real burial.

Tubbo nodded softly at Wilbur, still sniffling. “I-I don’t wanna go back there Wil…”

Wilbur nodded understandingly, “you don’t have to. You can stay with Philza, Eret, Ranboo and Fundy in our cottage back home. Me and...and Techno can go looking for him. Do you have the cords?”

Tubbo nodded again, “I do..” Tubbo told him the cords which Ranboo wrote down quickly. Ranboo really was the bet minutes man. “Thank you Wil…”

Wilbur smiled softly, “...anything for my little brothers. Let’s get home.”

With that, the group silently made their way to the cottage the SBI family shared. Philza carried Tubbo and as soon as they arrived, got the young lad into a bed, giving him some healing potions. 

As everyone went inside, Wilbur stood outside, face towards the sky as he felt the sun and snow on his face. “Oh Tommy...it doesn’t burn anymore...I wish you could see this.” He looked down at the inches of snow on the ground. “You would have so used that time to pelt me with a snowball or two.” The older brother ran his fingers through his hair, pulling the beanie back down properly.

“Let’s bring you home.”

***********************************

It was Wilbur's first time being back in his childhood home in what had to have been 6 years, the first thing he noticed was the smell of Fir and Spruce logs as they burned in the fireplace. Ghost sense were weird, and for the longest time that smell would have felt dangerous, but now it felt like home. 

He traced his fingers over the barrels. He wished he had had a happier homecoming. 

But the time for being sentimental was over, he had a rescue, more so a retrieval, mission of sorts. Wilbur got to work, grabbing a spare enderchest and filling it with potions and gear.

There was no such thing as ‘too prepared’ in this situation.

As he was about ready to go, Wilbur was stopped by the quietest of sounds. The sound of faint crying. The man spun on his heels and was met with a sight that infuriated him: Philza was sitting on the sofa, crying softly as he looked at Tommy’s baby photos.

“You don’t deserve to look at those.”

Philza snapped his head up, meeting his son’s glare. “I what?”

“I SAID YOU DON’T DESERVE TO LOOK AT TOMMY’S PHOTOS AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO CRY WHEN THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING DOING!!”

Phil had had enough.

“WILBUR! HE IS- HE IS MY SON! MY SON! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU, MY OTHER SON, GIVE ME SHIT FOR CRYING OVER MY YOUNGEST’S DEATH!!”

“HE WOULDN’T BE DEAD IF IT WASN’T FOR YOUR INCOMPETENCE!!” Wilbur screamed.

“MY INCOMPETENCE?! HOW DARE YOU!! I RAISED YOU BOTH!!”

“TOMMY ALWAYS SAID THAT EVEN IF YOU WERE HIS DAD, HE RAISED HIMSELF!! YOU KNOW WHY?! IT’S BECAUSE YOU SPENT ALL YOUR TIME ON FUCKING TECHNO!! YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME OR TOMMY!! WHY DIDN’T YOU BURY ME HUH?? WHY DIDN’T YOU BURY YOUR OWN SON?! WHY DID YOU HELP TECHNO DESTROY L’MANBERG WHEN YOU KNEW EVERYONE WAS THERE?! WHEN YOU KNEW FRIEND WAS IN YOUR HOUSE!! WHY DID YOU SPAWN IN THE FUCKING WITHERS AND HELP FUCKING DREAM!! YOU HELPED FUCKING DREAM AFTER EVERYTHING HE DID TO ME AND ESPECIALLY TOMMY!!”

As Philza went to scream back he stopped, caught off-guard by the last thing his son had said: you helped Dream after everything he did. Phil knew Tommy had been hiding with techno for a while and that he feared Dream, but he didn’t know why. “Wh-what did Dream do?”

Wilbur scoffed, “AS IF YOU DON’T KNOW!!” When a beat passed and silence, it hit Wilbur that his father genuinely did not know. “How? How could you not fucking know? First Dream tried to fucking kill me and melt me in the snow, but that doesn’t even touch what he did to Tommy. For a year, that- that sadistic motherfucker tortured Tommy in exile. He manipulated him, emotionally ruined him, and brought Tommy to the brink of fucking suicide. What kind of a fucking father are you that you didn’t know that masked bitch was killing your son?”

“H-How was I supposed to know? I thought Dream just enforced his exile, I didn’t-”

“YOU DIDN’T WHAT PHIL?! YOU NEVER MADE THE EFFORT SO OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T KNOW! IN THAT YEAR YOU NEVER VISITED ONCE! TOMMY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR KILLED HIMSELF AND YOU WOULDN’T HAVE CARED THEN, SO DON’T FUCKING PRETEND TO CARE NOW!”

As the two men screamed, the sound of a trapdoor opening was easily masked.

“Heh? What is happening? Why is there so much shouting? Heh? Phil? Ranboo? You two okay? I was just trading with Orpha-”

Techno popped his head out of the hole in the floor, climbing up from the villagers they stored in the basement. His words died on his lips as he made sense of what was before him. 

Philza and someone were fighting each other.

Philza and someone, someone that was painfully familiar to Techno, were fighting.

Tears pricked at Techno’s eyes, his mouth drying slightly as the pieces fit together. His chest ached as Techno fought to keep his normal demeanor. 

Philza and his twin, his **alive** twin, his other half were fighting. 

Philza and Wilbur were fighting. 

Air caught in Techno’s breath, his hands sweaty as he slid back down the ladder. As he clung on to the ladder with one hand, the other trailed up his face, covering his eye and gripping onto some of his pink hair. 

Techno’s breathing became sporadic, his eyes wild and darting around the small space, thoughts spiraling out of control: 

_Phil._

_For you Phil, the world._

_Phil._

_Philza. Philza’s in trouble. Someone’s fighting him._

_Fighting. Fighting. Fighting. The Pit._

_Violence._

_Violence._

_Violence._

_Phil’s being hurt. Who hurt Phil?_

_You know who hurt him._

_He hurt him. But he’s dead. He can’t hurt him._

_Say his name._

_No. He’s dead. Someone else is hurting Philza. Someone else must pay. Have to stop them. Have to make them bleed._

_Blood._

_Blood._

_Blood._

_Say his name Technoblade. Say who is hurting Phil. Can you really stop them?_

_I can stop anyone. No one can kill me, no one can stop me._

_Say his name._

_No._

_Say his name. Say his name. Say his name._

Techno climbed up the ladders, still gasping slightly for breath. 

_Say his name._

“Wilbur..?” Techno mumbled, eyes fixed on his younger twin. 

_They’re fighting. What will you do? Who is hurting who?_

_I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know._

_Family is hurting family. You don’t deserve family._

_Phil is hurting Wilbur._

_Wilbur is hurting dad._

In that moment, clarity came to Techno. He rushed over and stood between the two men, arm outstretched in a protective way towards Wilbur, his back to his brother. 

Wilbur’s eyes widened at the person suddenly in front of them. “T-Techno..?”

Techno looked over his shoulder at his brother and gave a little nod, a hint of a smile tugging his lips. “Still need me to save you from dad after all these years little bro?”

Wilbur rolled his eyes but the warmth he felt swelling in his chest reminded him that his annoyance was just for show. 

“So. I-I, what’s happening here? Phil? Wilbur?” Techno asked.

“Techno, Wilbur, well heeee,” Phil dragged out the ‘e’ sound, rubbing the back of his neck, “he’s alive again.”

“Well I can see that Phil, I have eyes you know. But, I-I, I dont understand what’s going on. HOW is he back? You’re, you’re telling me it actually worked?” Techno’s ear twitched as he looked between his brother and father. “I just, I-I don’t understand what I just walked in on, well climbed up on.”

“Yeah, Wil’s back, pogchamp. But that’s not the most important thing-”

“Bruuuuuh. What do you mean Wil coming back isn't the most important thing? What is no one telling me?”

“Well,” Phil hesitates, “it’s a wee bit of an, um, sensitive topic-”

“JUST FUCKING TELL HIM PHILZA!”

“What do you mean?! Tell me what?! I come upstairs and see that you two are speaking via the universal language but no one is telling me why!”

Phil falls silent, his words caught in his throat. Wilbur glares at his father.

“FINE I'LL TELL HIM THEN! TECHNO, TOMMY IS DEAD!”

Techno stared at his brother, shocked into silence. That was not at all what he was expecting to hear. Although Techno was mad and upset at Tommy, he never really hated the kid, he loved his little brother too much to truly hate him. Hearing the news of Tommy’s death breaks him. He had hoped the two would be able to one day put aside their past but now…

Wilbur grabs armor and some gear and pots and looks at Techno “-and i'm going to find him. I’m bringing him home. Whether as a ghost or his body, he needs a proper grave and he just, I don’t want him out there all alone. I won’t let his body just get buried in snow because no one cared to find him. He did fucked up shit but so did all of us in this bloody family, so I’m going to find him. Are you coming?”

Techno fell silent, his normal calm and relatively emotionless exterior cracking. His ears twitched and his nose slightly scrunched as he fought back tears. just looks upset.Techno gritted his teeth, his tusks slightly bared as he fought to contain his emotions. 

Techno didn’t know why to be mad at Phil yet, but he decided to trust his brother. It may have been the stupider choice, because for the longest time it had been Techno and Philza versus the world, but Wilbur was his twin, his brother, his other half. He had just got Wil back, and he didn't want to lose him again. He wanted Tommy back too, even if he hated to admit it.

After a moment, Techno rummaged through his enderchest, throwing armor at Wil. “Wilbur, we need better gear than that if we are going to succeed. Tommy deserves the best we can give. Do you have a Trident? I have a spare I can enchant-”

Philza and Wilbur looked at Techno, perplexed, saddened, but Wilbur also hopeful “But, we thought you hated him?” they asked in unison. 

  
  


Technoblade tenses, turning away from his enderchest to look at his family. “You were always right Phil. I could never hate Tommy, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I let him do and get away with. I could never hate him, not really.”

Suiting up in full netherite and handing Wil the extra Trident, Techno nodded towards the door. 

“Now come on Wilbur. Let’s go find Theseus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You lot really said Philza Minecraft had no rights in the comments. Damn, you really woke up and chose violence, some real blood for the blood god pog. Well, I hope this fulfilled your desires, and if not, just stay tuned, there will be more. One screaming match won't fix things lol. In reality, I really love Phil and I hope to make his character a good dad in the future, but rn family drama angst pog. (I also love Phil as a streamer, don't hate the streamers just the character loves.)
> 
> Also why are Tommy and Tubbo interactions so much fucking fun to write????? Like????? Omfg that was so fun????? I can't wait to write more of that but you didn't hear that from me.
> 
> And I apologize if the first half of the chapter is better than the second, I feel like I write Tubbo and Tommy just better than the other characters and I'm going to get better at being able to write the other characters more true to themselves (which requires rewatching vods especially the L'Manberg and Pogtopia arcs). I especially hope to write Techno better. Apologies.
> 
> Longest chapter so far pog?
> 
> Also I started this chapter before today's streams and edited a bit of Tommy, Tubbo and Jack's dialogue so it was slightly similar to what they said on stream!
> 
> ANYWAY BOYS! Here are the songs I listened to while writing this:
> 
> -Violence by Kanaya  
> -I'll Let it Burn by Kanaya  
> -November 16th by Kanaya  
> -Your Sister Was Right by Wilbur Soot  
> -Rät by Penelope Scott  
> -You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring  
> -Dead Mom from the Beetlejuice Musical Soundtrack


	4. Fireworks and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy used to love fireworks...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to AO3 statistics, only a small portion of readers are leaving a Kudos and Comment. It truly means the world to me if you could and it’s completely free! Plus you can always un-kudos and delete your comment later, though I don’t know why you’d want to. Anyways, thank you, and enjoy the fanfic.

“Tubbooooooooooooo,” Tommy whined, throwing his head back dramatically as he held out his friend’s name. “Why are you leading me outside, in the snow, on my birthday? MY birthday! I shouldn’t be listening to you!”

Tubbo smiled back at his best friend, hand still clutching his best friend’s as he dragged him further into the valley. The warm light from the fire could barely be seen as the light spilled out from the windows and onto the freshly fallen snow. Even in April, it still snowed at their frigid home that was so far up north. 

“I dunno, but you still listened, didn’t ya? Come on! I promised I would get you out here when the moon was in the middle of the sky!” Tubbo exclaimed. 

“Promised who? Techno? Wilbur? Dadza? There’s no way you promised that to Wilbur, I bet he’s too busy with Fundy to even remember that it’s my birthday now.”

Tubbo looked at his friend with apologetic eyes. “Actually, it was both Wilbur and Techno’s idea. I promised them both.”

“Tch, I really doubt Wilby would actually do anything for my birthday. If it’s not about Fundy then he doesn’t care,” Tommy said, spite in his voice, as he planted his feet firmly in the snow. 

“Oh come on now, you’re his little brother, of course he wants to- HEY!! Stop planting your feet in the snow-HMPH!” Tubbo yelled as he fell face first into the snow after the older boy had struggled to get his stubborn, much taller, friend to keep walking.

“BUAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!! YOUR WHOLE FACE IS COVERED IN SNOW!!! YOU LOOK LIKE A DUMBASS SNOW GOLEM!!!” Tommy cackled, holding his stomach as he hunched over, his muscles aching from the violent laughter. 

Tubbo grumbled, sitting up and crossing his arms after he rubbed the snow out of his eyes, looking like a little raccoon until he wiped the snow off of his entire face. “Tommy!! You can’t say bad words like that!! Your dad is gonna be SO mad at you if he finds out!!”

Tommy snickered, “Well then we won’t tell him, will we Tubzo? Besides, Wilbur says words like that ALL the time and dadza couldn’t care less!”

“Wilbur is 22! He’s an adult! He can say those words! Besides, even adults don’t say those words all the time! Techno doesn’t!” Tubbo sighed, holding out a hand so Tommy can help him up. Once standing again he brushes the snow off himself, shaking his head so the snow gets off his hair and floppy ears. He looked to the side, “and I won’t tell dadza, I’m no snitch.”

“Techno doesn’t say words like that because he is a pussy-”

“TOMMY!!!”

Tommy laughed harder, wheezing almost, “FINE!! Man, who are you? Badboyhalo? Relax Tubzo, dadza isn’t here, we won’t get in trouble.”

“I know, but it feels wrong to curse, we’re only 10. And Techno isn’t that, he’s really strong. You have such cool older brothers.” 

“I mean, guess I have cool older brothers, they’re yours too now,” Tommy shrugged but then smiled widely. “That’s right, Tubbo!” Tommy said, triumphantly jumping into the air. “I’m 10 now bitches!”

“You’re 10 now **what** Tomothy?”

Tommy jumped, turning quickly. “H-Hi d-dad-”

“I told him not to say it!!” Tubbo squeaked, “I’m sorry!”

Philza chuckled, making the feathers of his wings ruffle. “It’s alright boys. I’ll let it slide for tonight since it’s little Tommy’s birthday afterall.”

Tommy pouted, crossing his arms, “I’m not little, I am absolutely massive, just like Techno!! Dad, do you think Techno will start training me? I want to beat up shit just like he can!”

Phil sighed, rubbing his face. “Don’t push the cursing Tommy. And...not until your flight feathers come in. You haven’t had your first molt, you’re still a little chickling. No fighting for you until you can fly, understood?”

Tommy groaned, throwing his head back and huffing dramatically, “but when will I even get them innnnnnnnnnnnnn?”

Philza chuckled, “I was about your age when I went through my first molt. Be patient, chickling, you’ll be flying, and I suppose fighting soon enough.”

Tommy smiled brightly, his blue eyes shining, “HELL YEAH!” The young boy threw his arms in the air, his golden wings stretched out wide and flapping ever so slightly.

“Alright, alright you two, let’s get a move on. You both were already running late which is why I came back to get you lads in the first place. Let’s not leave your older brothers and nephew to freeze in the snow okay?” Phil spoke with a smile.

Tommy smiled at the mention of his brothers, the smile dropping ever so slightly, however, at the mention of Fundy. “Yeah, let’s, let’s hurry up and get there! Race ya Tubbo!”

With that Tommy began sprinting towards the bonfire in the distance. Tubbo’s eyes widened and he sprinted after his best friend. “hEY! Wait for me!!”

Tommy laughed as he fought to keep his lead, “come on Tubzo! I thought goat’s were supposed to be good at running through snow!”

“That’s running up mountains!” Tubbo called, struggling to catch up to his tall friend.

Phil laughed to himself as he walked behind the two boys, smiling happily. Tubbo had only been with them for about a year now, but he was happy how Tommy had finally found someone who wouldn’t ever leave him. Philza knew the moment they invited Tubbo into their home, that him and Tommy would be friends for the rest of their lives. Phil smiled to himself again as he watched the boys run to Wilbur, Techno, and Fundy. He was happy that all his boys, Tubbo included, were happy.

When Philza finally arrived to the bonfire, Fundy immediately scrambled into his grandfather’s arms. Wilbur chuckled, “he had been calling for his grandpa the moment you walked off to find Tommy and Tub. You really decided to be slowza today, huh?”

Techno chuckled, “you’re getting old Phil.”

“Old Phil! Old Phil! Old Phil!” Tommy chanted, making Fundy frown as he clung to Phil, who held him safely in his arms.

“Hey!” Fundy squeaked, flattening his ears and narrowing his eyes to seem intimidating. Fundy, still being just a 6-year-old pup, was certainly not intimidating. “Don’t be mean to grandpa!”

Tommy stuck his tongue out at Fundy, who teared up in response. 

“Dada!! Uncle Tommy is mean!!” Fundy cried, to which Wilbur gently tousled his son’s hair, soothing the child with soft coos and reassurances that Tommy did in fact love him, even if he teased him.

Tommy laughed, “It is my birthday! I can be and do whatever I want! Including teasing **my** **dad** and **my brother**.” Tommy glanced at Wilbur who gave him a slight eye roll but chuckled and ruffled his younger brother’s hair. 

“Only for the next 22 hours Tommy, then we all go back to teasing **you** for the rest of the year,” Wilbur jested, a teasing smile on his face. 

Tommy huffed, secretly elated by the attention Wilbur was finally giving him, “well Blade never teases me.”

Techno chuckled, “not to your face, Hercules.”

“Why did you start calling me Hercules?” Tommy asked inquisitively, wide eyes looking up at his brother whilst completely ignoring the fact his brother had admitted to teasing him behind his back.

“Oh, no reason, Hercules has, well he has just become...one of my more favorite Ancient Greek heroes at the moment. And you always scream about claiming to be so strong, and massive. Besides the fact you just generally tend to try to have a hero persona, I found the nickname fitting.” Techno shrugged, not really wanting to elaborate more. 

“What does that word mean? Per-so-na?” Tommy asked, elongating the syllables in the unfamiliar word.

Techno shook his head, “I’ll tell you soon enough.”

Wilbur chuckled, “Now come on, we didn’t come out here to freeze our asses off. Techno, ready?”

Techno nodded, standing up off the log and walking over with Wil to a rather large spruce tree. On the count of three, Wilbur pressed a rather hidden button on the tree bark and within moments the sky lit up in a beautiful display of colors. 

The fireworks burst in the clear night sky, bright reds, greens, yellows, oranges, pinks, and teals followed by loud bangs, whistles, and crackles. The dark had been filled with a wonderful display of colors, Tommy smiling brightly at the beautiful display. 

“Happy birthday Tommy,” Wilbur said with a smile on his face as the two older brothers brought their baby brother into the arms, hugging him close. The three smiled up at the sky as red, blue, and white fireworks shone bright with the stars….

  
  
  


….Red, Blue, and White colors flashed brightly at the Red Festival.

There were no “ooos” and “ahhhs” at this firework display, rather it was met with screams of fear and agony.

Tommy’s eyes widened as the scene before him played on repeatedly in his head: 

“Tubbo.” Techno said, voice firm.

“Yeah..?” Tubbo answered, voice faltering. 

“I-I, I can’t-” Tubbo fumbled with his words, his voice catching in his throat as fear overcame him. His body trembled and tears welled in his eyes.

“Tubbo. Tubbo, I’m sorry. I’ll make it as, as painless, as colorful as possible, Tubbo.”

“Techno-” Tubbo pleaded, eyes filled with tears as he looked up at the man before him, crossbow filled with firework rockets aimed directly at him. Tears fell down his cheeks as he looked up at his executioner, the man he used to think of as an older brother, the man who protected him and Tommy from the world.

“Tubbo-”

“What the hell..?!” Tubbo cried, a last ditch effort to keep his executioner at bay. A last ditch effort to knock some sense into Technoblade and remind him who he was about to slaughter.

“Tubbo. I’m sorry. T-Tubbo, I’m being subjected t-to mild amounts of peer pressure Tubbo-” With that, Techno fired the first shot, an explosion of red, white, and blue light coming from the lit firework rockets. Tubbo fell back, tears streaming down his face as his skin singed and blistered.

“Oh my god, he lived!” Schlatt screamed, angrily looking to Techno to finish the job. 

Techno looked back at Tubbo, feeling sorry for the fearful kid in front of him. He broke his promise to Tubbo, this wouldn’t be painless.

“Techno plea-” 

Two more firework rockets lodged themselves in Tubbo’s chest, the explosion of colors draining the light and life from the poor boy's eyes. The radial explosion took a life from both Schlatt and Quackity as well, but neither of those mattered to Tommy as he watched from the roof with Wilbur.

“TUBBO NO!!” Tommy practically screeched, looking over to where Wilbur was supposed to be for a moment, before launching himself off the roof and running to the body of his best friend. 

“TUBBO!! COME ON!! GET UP!!” Tommy screamed as he fell to his knees, scraping them as he slid over the debris and grabbed his friend's bloodied and burned body. Tubbo’s suit was ripped and burned, burnt flesh underneath left exposed. His chest, neck, and face would scar from the burn marks. 

Tommy sobbed, burying his face in his friend's hair, crying harder when Tubbo’s chest began to rise and fall once again after being still. He had lost a life that day, had lost a life to a family member. Hearing the yelling, Tommy sat up and turned back to glare at his elder brother.

“YOU KILLED HIM YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!” Tommy screamed, voice hoarse and raw.

“T-Tommy, I didn’t want to, the peer-” Techno attempted to defend his actions, hiding his guilt and regret under his ever present calm facade.

“YOU KILLED TUBBO!! I HATE YOU!!” Tommy yelled again, ignoring the tears as they fell down.

“T-Tommy…?” Tubbo said weakly, one eye opening to attempt to look up at his friend. “E-Everything hurts…”

“T-Tubbo..! Shh, shh, you’re okay, you’re okay big man. We’ll get you all patched up in Pogtopia. You’ll good as new...let’s get you out of here..” Tommy spoke rather softly, yet still with haste. He slowly stood up, cradling his friend in his arms, carrying him all the way back to their underground home as quickly and gently as he could. Tommy cursed to himself, wishing now more than ever, that he could fly.

Tommy developed mild versions of Kovtapyroergasoiphobia and Phonophobia after this day, his major triggers being fireworks, of course, and tnt…

**Phonophobia** : also called Ligyrophobia or Sonophobia, is a fear of or aversion to loud sounds…

**Kovtapyroergasoiphobia** : the fear of fireworks...

******

“I can’t believe I have to go get Nihachu. This is dumb. I don’t understand why **I’m** the one who has to go get Alivebur’s fuckin’ friend.” Tommy grumbled, kicking at the snow as he walked through the forest. 

“This is so stupid. I don’t even think she’s talked to Ghostbur once. Why the hell does she want to be there anyway. IT MAKES NO SENSE! I JUST WANTED TO SEE THE NUKE GO OFF-” Tommy shouted, glaring up into the sky. His eyes widened when he noticed the massive flocks of birds leaving the area in haste.

“Wh-what the fuck…?” Arctic foxes and rabbits began darting from the trees and bushes, some almost knocking Tommy over as they frantically scurried away.

“Uuuuh, I don’t think that’s fucking normal…” 

The sky seemed to get brighter, the area around him warmer. Tommy looked up at the sky, noticing the bright light rapidly descending towards earth about 50 metres away from him. “Holy shit, no no no-”

Tommy tried to run, but no one could outrun something like that.

The explosion was deafening, the light blinding. 

_I don’t want to die..._

That was the last thing Tommy thought before he was flung away from the impact site by the sheer force of the explosion, his lifeless and partially burned body thrown into a nearby snowdrift as if he were a weighless doll. 

Tommy died immediately when the nuke impacted, the force from the explosion alone was enough to knock the life out of the kid. And even if it wasn’t the burning heat from the air would have been more than enough to finish him off. 

Tommy, thankfully, did not hear the explosion, as he was dead long before the sound was able to make it to his ears

It all happened so fast. If you blinked, you would have missed it.

As Jack, miles away, celebrated the explosion and subsequent murder that had taken place, Tommy lay dead in the frozen field, which other than the massive crater, seemd oddly peaceful with a gentle flurry of snow beginning to fall.

  
  


*******

The wind howled as the twin brothers trudged through the snowy tundra, the sun hidden by darkening clouds.

Wilbur found himself pulling up the collar of his trenchcoat which he wore under the armor as an added layer for warmth. As much as Wilbur hated armor, he was thankful to have it now as the enchantments seemed to radiate an almost magical heat.

Wilbur looked to his elder twin brother, noticing how the cold didn’t seem to affect Techno at all. Years in hiding at their childhood home seemed to make the pig-hybrid numb to the cold. That, and the long pink hair most certainly helped keep Techno’s neck and back warm.

Wilbur envied his brother’s so-called immunity to the cold, blaming his own more lanky stature and former ghostly existence for his current susceptibility to cold. He had always envied Techno, whether he admitted it outwardly or not. Techno was always stronger, faster, bolder. He was more confident in his ideologies and his abilities. Wilbur wondered if that’s what had made him turn to create a drug empire and then a country. He wondered if his incentive for creating L’Maberg wasn’t to create a special place where men could go and emancipate the tyranny and brutality of their rulers, but rather a reason to finally upstage Techno. A reason to make Philza proud.

But even that was his familiar. His unfinished symphony, or one of them. Something else he had managed to fuck over in the end. 

Wilbur sighed, letting his sword drag slightly on the ground as he looked up at the sky, letting the snow fall on his face. 

“...Tommy was my other unfinished symphony,” Wilbur mumbled, half to himself and half to the world around him.

Techno stopped in his tracks, meeting Wilbur’s brown eyes with his own yellow ones. “What?”

“I said, Tommy was my other unfinished symphony.”

“I heard you, Wil, but what do you mean by that?” Techno asked, his voice steady but his tense posture told Wilbur Techno was holding back a floodgate of emotions.

“Hmm,” Wilbur contemplated. “I mean, he, he became a better man than I am.”

“Tch, I doubt that.”

“I don’t. I know I always teased him, but I never really meant it. I should have told him that more, that I was proud of him. I should have spent more time with him too. L’Manberg, that was me and his creation. And I know how much you opposed it, but it really helped Tommy grow. He became confident in his abilities, he trained, he wanted to be respected, he wanted to rid our continent of Dream’s tyranny. L’Manberg may have been the country I created, my physical unfinished symphony, but Tommy was every ideology behind it. I just wanted to help him reach his full potential, to be a better man than me, Philza, or you. Now, he too is an unfinished symphony.” Wilbur’s voice cracked as he finished talking, cold tears staining his face colder. 

Techno made a small noise of acknowledgment, nodding slightly. “Wilbur, you know L’Manberg is a, a sensitive topic for me. That country of yours tried to kill me, it hunted me down-”

“That country **did** kill me, Techno. And it’s gone now. It’s lost its last canon life. It was never the special and safe place I wanted, it just bred corruption. I know that, I just discovered it far too late.” Wilbur argued, looking at his brother.

“If only Tommy had understood it. If he hadn’t been such a loyalist, he could have been safe with me. Now he’s…” Techno trailed off before his voice could falter.

“I think you’re wrong. From what I remember, Tommy never chose government. He turned down his position as president and vice president. He didn’t side with the government, but Tubbo.”

“Tubbo was the government, he was the corruption! Why are you defending-”

“I’m not defending him for betraying you. I’m trying to fucking justify my dead brother’s actions based on what I remember.” Wilbur snapped, glaring at Techno.

Techno seemed taken aback slightly, he could handle Tommy’s anger, but it had been so long since Wilbur’s anger was directed at him. “...Wil, what do you remember? How much..?”

Wilbur sighed, his anger fading away, “I remember a lot, some things are still fuzzy though. I remember bits and pieces of our childhood…” He took a deep breath, “I remember when...when Tommy was born..and Fundy. I remember watching them, them growing up…”

A chilling silence fell between the brothers now, silently walking alongside one another. For the first time in years, Techno felt the cold of the snow and of his brother chill him to his bones, to what remained of his soul. 

“Wil...how-how did Tommy die? Tell me. No one has told me. How did, how did Theseus meet his end?”

Wilbur sighed again, rubbing his face, tears pricking at his eyes. “Fucking hell- still using that nickname?”

“Yeah, I am. He didn't...he didn’t fall off any cliffs did he?”

“No, no, no, you know Tommy would never be that thematically correct or stick to some script written out in a stupid Greek myth.”

Techno chuckled slightly, more so at the awkward tension the emotions he was hiding were creating. “Yeah. He-he never would listen to something like that. What would he say, something like-“

“Something like, ‘I’m Tommy and I am an absolutely massive man who likes women and doesn’t listen to shit anyone says even if it’s for my own good because I’m smarter than everyone. I also hate men and if you are a man I will stab you.’ Something like that, yeah?” Wilbur asked after he finished attempting to mimic Tommy’s accent, Techno replying with a short chuckle. 

He sighed and looked to Techno, shaking his head sadly. “No...no...Tommy, well he, Tubbo and Jack Manifold, you know Jack right?”

“Uuuuuh, he’s friend with that Nihachu girl you were friends with right? She seems, well I guess Niki is okay. Obsessed with revenge right now for some reason, seemed to be into the idea of anarchy. I suppose Jack is fine if he’s her acquaintance.”

Wilbur’s brows furrowed, confusion painted on his face, “wait- Niki likes anarchy now? But she used to be my First Lady- she loved L’Manberg more than anything. And revenge? What revenge?” Wilbur shook his head again, “never mind, that’s not important right now. Well anyway, Jack and Tubbo had a secret project to ensure their home’s safety, Snowchester’s safety-“

“Is Snowchester another government?! I swear to God-“ Techno growled almost under his breath, annoyed that his messages seemed to be getting through to no one.

“No no! Snowchester is just the name of their home. No government there. Now will you fucking let me continue or do I need to start calling you by your childhood nickname?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would and I will. Anyway, as I was saying Techit, they had a secret project called Dreamcatcher which was made to destroy Dream in the event Tubbo and...and well, Tommy, hadn’t survived the fight.”

Techno’s ears twitched as he perked up slightly, “destroy Dream? How on earth were **those** two planning to destroy Dream?”

“They made nukes, Techno. Nuclear warheads. They were launching them today...and if what Tubbo says is true, then Jack sent- sent Tommy on a wild-goose hunt through the crash site...he was killed by the nuclear weapon made to slaughter Dream.” Wilbur’s breath caught in his throat, his hands trembling as he thought of how Tommy’s final moments would have been. 

After a moment, Wilbur continued. “Tubbo said Jack had wanted Tommy dead and had used Tubbo to kill him. That’s where we are heading-“ Wilbur fumbled in his pocket, handing Techno the tear stained paper and old compass. “The-These are the coords to the crash site...Tubbo managed to jot them down.”

Techno grabbed the compass and looked at the coordinates. Usually he never used coordinates, but he had yet to travel that region of the continent. With a slightly shaking hand, Techno traced the numbers, gulping slightly as the realisation hit him. This wasn’t like his last few times leaving his home, he wasn’t seeking revenge, not yet at least. He was going to find what was left of his brother’s body. 

Techno...he wasn’t an emotionless monster like everyone believed. His emotions, Techno tended to keep to himself. He also wasn’t heartless or unforgiving, at least to a select few. As much as Tommy had hurt Techno, Techno had always planned to forgive him. But, now it seemed, well, it seemed like that could never happen. 

Though Techno didn’t show it, he was consumed by grief. His slightly shaking hands and unfocused gaze were tells of such. Guilt too, seemed to have its icy grip on Techno’s heart. He had always wanted to keep Theseus from that final fatal fall. He has always wanted to protect him, even if from a distance. 

Techno never wanted this. 

He never wanted Tommy dead. 

_You did want him gone Techno._

_He betrayed you Technoblade._

_He’s dead now._

_He can’t hurt you ever again._

_Leave his body to rot, let the crows tear it apart._

_If Wilbur, a traitor, didn’t receive a grave, why should an equally guilty traitor like Tommy receive one?_

_How has he earned a memorial?_

_Leave him there._

_But he’s family. He’s my family. I-I never hated him._

_Technoblade, you’re lying to yourself-_

_WILL YOU SHUT UP FOR 5 MINUTES!!!_

Techno took a deep breath, looking to Wilbur who eyed him, confused. 

“I-, I was just, just thinking about the best way to get there. Come on. Let’s go.” Techno lied, looking to the compass and beginning to walk again in a north-eastern direction. 

*******

After hours of walking, the twins found themselves at the site. At first, they wondered if they had gone the wrong way, until they saw **it.**

The crater was massive, about half the size of what remained of L’Manberg, and full of deadly radiation. The twins thanked the heavy enchanted netherite and the regeneration potions for the temporary radiation protection.

As they looked out over the massive, newly formed, canyon, Wilbur and even Techno felt themselves shiver. 

The very idea that this had been caused by a singular explosion rocked the brothers to their core. 

For a moment, the two were tempted to grab one another’s hand, just as they had whenever they were scared as children. And now as grown adults, the two nearly reverted back to that childhood comfort from the fact this, this explosion was how their baby brother lost his life. This crater now served as his temporary grave. 

Once the initial shock left the men, they began their search, looking anywhere for anything that could’ve been Tommy’s remains…

******

“Tubbo….?”

The wind carried the ghostly voice through the trees.

“Tubbo, where are you….?”

The branches rustled as the voice traveled through.

“Niki…?”

A beat.

“Ghostbur….?”

The spectral voice called out, fear now discernible.

“Ghostbur, you’re here right…?”

The voice echoed through the crater, bouncing off the radiated walls and ice covered rubble.

“Techno…?”

The faint voice pleaded, desperate for anyone familiar. 

The voice died down as the ghost took his seat, blue, radiated tears pricking at his grey skin. Ghostinnit ran his hands through the cold snow that was beginning to cover his dead body, which had been flung on impact. The cold began freezing Ghostinnit’s hands, causing the spectre to shiver violently. 

Ghostinnit hated the cold. 

The poor boy looked up from his body, unhopeful of everything. 

After a moment, the ghost sighed, looking back at his own corpse. Ghostinnit’s appearance matched his dead bodies, other than his greyed out skin, his mangled wings, and an ever present bit of ash that seemed to come from Ghostinnit like mock enderman particles. 

Looking at his body, Ghostinnit became overcome with grief from his own death. 

“Techno….?” Ghostinnit called out weakly.

“Ghostbur….please….I don’t want to be alone-“

Ghostinnit clamped his mouth shut as he heard the crunching of footsteps in the snow. 

“Technoblade? Did you hear that, it sounded like-“

“I know Wilbur, but it’s probably just our voices messing with us, or, or grief or something I don’t know.”

“But it could really be him. He could already be a ghost like I was.”

“You’re too optimistic, Wil.”

“I’m sorry, I want to see him, Techno.”

Ghostinnit watched as his brothers, both alive, climbed out of the crater. Wilbur adjusted his beanie, brushing off the snow and glancing around. Techno stuck his axe in the ground, looking at the coordinates again. 

“Do you think it’s possible he could have been thrown from the site by the blast if he wasn’t directly on it?” Wilbur asked, noting how trees and bushes in a nearby area. 

“Maybe. Or he was vaporised.”

“TECHNO!!” 

The shouting scared Ghostinnit, causing the young ghost to dart off into the tree line, hidden from his brothers. 

Seeing his brothers was confusing, a mess of memories and emotions, not all making sense, coming back to him. He was too overwhelmed to see them now, even if they were all he knew right now. 

The running did catch Techno’s attention, though, however the source of the sound was never detected. 

“You hear that?” Techno asked, walking towards where the sound was from. 

“Yeah, I did..” Wilbur nodded, following.

After a few minutes of trudging through snow, the brothers stopped in their tracks, gasping. 

There, half covered in the freshly fallen snow, was the batter, bruised, and slightly burned body of their baby brother, all alone again. 

Wilbur gulped, choking back tears as Techno firmly placed a hand on his shoulder, grounding his twin. 

“Oh Tommy…” Wilbur mumbled, hands shaking. 

Techno walked over, gently picking up his brother’s body, gently cradling the boy just as he did when he was a baby.

“Oh Theseus…” Techno mumbled...

“...Let’s get you home…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE CHAPTER!!! I’VE BEEN SO BUSY THIS LAST WEEK!!! I GOT NEW FRIENDS AND I HAVE A VALENTINE AND YEAH. ANYWAY I HOPE TO GET CHAPTER 5 DONE SOONER. 
> 
> ANYWAY, FAMILY CAUSING TRAUMA POG??
> 
> I wrote this in between chatting with a new friend group, balancing homework, and maybe having a love life???
> 
> By the way, this description of grief may not be accurate to all, but it is very much based off of how I have dealt with grief in which the initial hit of it leaves you a sobbing mess, but then a numbing shock seems to set in and you feel almost nothing.
> 
> Songs to listen to when reading this and maybe cry to???:
> 
> -Firework by Katy Perry  
> -If I Die Young by The Band Perry  
> -Royals by Lorde  
> -Your Unfinished Symphony by Kanaya  
> -Theseus by The Oh Hellos  
> -Soldier, King, Poet by The Oh Hellos  
> \- Fin by Kanaya  
> \- November 16th by Kanaya  
> -Egg and Soldiers by Cosmo Shelldrake  
> -Come Along by Cosmo Shelldrake
> 
> Till next time loves!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for reading my first proper fanfic! I really hope you enjoy the journey this fic will go on. Pray I continue to have the motivation and inspiration for this. By the way, I am a fulltime university student and streamer so I will try to post as regularly as I can! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Welp, I will see you guys next chapter!! 
> 
> Follow me on social media maybe??  
> Insta: svav.edits  
> twitch: just_sav_  
> twitter: justsav_


End file.
